Outlines and discusses procedures for the preparation of lucigenin, a powerfully chemiluminescent compound. Major techniques (requiring three 4-hour sessions) involving nucleophilic and electrophilic aromatic substitution, nucleophilic aliphatic substitution, reductive coupling, and oxidation reactions include steam distillation, decolorization…

Provides background information on and experimental procedures for the preparation of sulcatol, an insect chemical. Includes physical properties of sulcatol derivatives and time required to complete experiments in the undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory. (Author/SK)

The acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of N-vinyl pyrrolidone provides a simple spectrophotometric kinetic experiment to introduce general acid catalysis, solvent isotope effects, and other aspects of ionic reactions in solution in advanced courses. The Bronsted equation and concept of linear free-energy changes is also covered. (SK)

Reviews some of the important properties of coal and the systems of nomenclature that would be useful to chemists and classroom teachers. (CS)

Describes a clock reaction resulting from the reaction of paraquat with base. (CS)

Describes an organic chemistry experiment demonstrating the effect of temperature on reactivity as measured by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. (CS)

Presents a viable laboratory experiment that demonstrates the utility of IR spectroscopy. Uses small quantities of deuterated gaseous alkanes. (CS)

Reviews published material on conformational behavior in 1,2-disubstituted frameworks regulated by steric and polar factors and attractive and repulsive gauche effects. Reports on attraction in systems with small and strongly electronegative atoms. Suggests that cause is dominant nuclear-electron attraction between atoms or groups. (Author/SA)

Spectroscopic studies on solutions and x-ray diffraction work on crystals lead to the conclusion that the Metrogen of the pyrimidine ring is preferentially protonated. The correct monoprotonated structures of thiamine and its 4-amino-pyrimidine synthetic precursor are presented. (BT)

Presented is a brief review of the analysis of pesticide residues in plants and soil. (BB)

A novel and efficient (34 percent overall) multi-step synthesis of the housefly sex attractant, muscalure, is described. Each of the steps involves types of reactions with which the undergraduate student would be familiar after one-and-one-half semesters of organic chemistry. (BB)

Explains the mechanisms through which the complex mixtures of reagents are believed to be effective in the new processes of oxidation of organic compounds. (GA)

Describes undergraduate chemistry curricula in which the student is asked to either build a model of one asymmetric unit in the unit cell and to indicate the positions of the symmetry-related units by putting in key atoms, or to identify on a prebuild model the asymetric and symmetry-related units. (BB)

Reports the status of peer-led learning, also known as Workshop Chemistry. This National Science Foundation (NSF) systemic-reform initiative focuses on general chemistry, organic chemistry, and biochemistry. (DDR)

Discussion of multimedia chemistry courses in higher education focuses on the educational development of a Web-based organic chemistry tutorial which aims to enable students to learn chemical concepts through the manipulation of structural formulae and the provision of appropriate feedback. Describes the online chemical structure modeling tool and…