Every Thursday I write about my experience being a premed student. Today I'm not giving out any tips, per say. I'm on a time crunch and, by the time this post is published, will have taken my second organic chemistry II exam (!) My head is full of so many reactions and mechanisms that I can't even think straight.
Here's just a quick example of what we do in organic chemistry lab, along with pictures I took when the lab TA wasn't looking.
Labs are usually a
big chunk of time: my orgo lab is three hours every Monday. Last Monday we reacted p-toluidine with sodium acetate and acetic acid. Not that this means anything to anyone. I don't even know what it means. This is my version of the lab:
We started out with these cool crystal-looking rocks....
We put some water and solvents in, and we got this:
Really, it doesn't look that hard but it's so finicky. We didn't end up with enough product because we started with about .01 grams less of sodium acetate than we should've (I'm serious). It's such a pain! But sometimes, when you think about it, organic chemistry lab is kind of cool. We're able to wield the power of turning materials like the rocks above into something totally different.
What makes it fun is when I relate lab to Potions class in Harry Potter. I must say, now I know why Harry always struggled with it.
--Becky
Such a great post!
ReplyDeleteTake a look and if you want we can follow each others: Cosa mi metto???
Thank you! I'll hop over to your blog right away and follow you :)
DeleteThis is so awesome! I always liked chemistry, but when I tried to make my own face serum from almond acid (not sure of the name) I was so scared of mixing the ingredients :D but it worked out well. Yeah, chemistry is thrilling:)
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yeah, I have a love/hate relationship with chemistry. But I love DIY projects, like making lotions and things. And to me, that's a type of chemistry!
Deleteha ha! That's a really fun way to look at it. I hated chemistry, slept right through it ih high school :)
ReplyDeletexx
meinmode.blogspot.com
That's like me in my calc class...I feel like I've fallen asleep in every class, lol!
DeleteNice pictures. Chemistry is fun. Estee Lauder got her start brewing potions in her kitchen, after all. Good luck!
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