Theophrastus

Well based on the conclusion I made above, and my earlier reference (I was refering more to preference of one over the other, that the rate of formation), the addition of a "base" crystal would increase the entropic favourability of one, resulting in a higher overall [math] /Delta G [/math], and thus favouring of its formation.

Out of sheer interest, what containers are then? I was thinking of using molten sodium hydroxide to get a good yield of terephthalic acid, but I suppose I'll use an alcohol solvent instead, or perhaps even settle with water; though I've heard the yield's pretty pitiful. (FYI I thought of adding polyethylene terephthalate to molten sodium hydroxide, to get ethylene glycol (which I can condense, and use as a precursor for making formalin) and sodium terephthalate. The sodium terephthalate I would then via hydrochloric acid, convert to terephthalic acid (and sodium chloride), which I could then use to make benzene. Joy. And the whole lye- sodium hydroxide thing's common knowledge; I just like the sound of lye better. It just sounds so wonderfully sinister ... [edit] Damn, have I really been away for so long so as to forget Hazmat? Ah yes, let's see, molten lye can eat through human tissue with ease (among other things). Hydrochloric acid can also be dangerous, and one should only handle it with the necessary safety precautions; goggles, chemical- resistant gloves and some manner of external bodily protection (like a lab coat). Ah, and formalin (or aqueous formaldehyde) is extraordinarily toxic; even small dosages, can be lethal.

See the above.

Hey guys, I was thinking on the topics above the other day, and got an interesting question. Let's say you have a solution of a compound, which we'll call compound X. Compound X has two structural polymorphs; polymorph XY and polymorph XZ. Polymorph XZ much less stable (under the given conditions) as polymorph XY. (I know, a messed- up description, but bear with me...) Now let's say you have a supersaturated solution of compound X. If you then rapidly cool the solution, adding a base crystal of XZ, will the solution, crystallizing around the base crystals, form polymorph XZ, or will the sample be ignored entirely, and eventually a X precipitate will allow a base for polymorph XY to grow? ps: And just as a refresher, if two polymorphs are equally likely to form the process should work in providing preference of one over the other right?

This question is purely one of interest, but I'm wondering, what do YOU think would be the moral, scientific, philosophical implications if extraterrestrial life as simple as bacteria, were to be discovered beyond Earth? On an alternative note, I'm wondering, why is it that we humans have such an intense fascination of discovering extraterrestrial life (outside of the wierd E.T.- esque romanticism) in the first place? Any thoughts guys?

Yay you!!! Now that I think of it, I ought to try a little thermite some time, if I have the freedom to pop into my local art store (40 min. away) and fetch some fine aluminium powder.

Titanium; and sorry for the slowness, I've been away for a fair while. As I myself feel far too lazy, anyone else thought of any good ones?

Here's a lovely old quote from one of my old posts. The conclusion? Well, either a college level chemistry is a hell of a lot simpler than university level, or else the dummies book is really bad. Well here's my scathing criticism of the book in question, however I recommend that given the fact I have never taken a college biochemistry course, nor read a college- level biochemistry textbook, that you do the following, in assessing the book. You should first see what you will be studying in the course, noting some key details where necessary, as well as the depth in which the respective concepts are analysed. (ie. haemoglobin, in particular, is often studied in a greater depth, than other proteins, as it is used as an example of various structural, functional, and chemical aspects of proteins, ie allosterism, inhibition, response to dpH etc.) You can then, spend an evening at your local bookstore, simply examining the book itself, and seeing if based on the concepts covered in the course, whether it would be a useful supplement. If you already have a text, compare the content and detail of the two, and see whether there is anything BC for D, has that your text doesn't. You should tread with caution in terms of some structural diagrams, from what I remember: see if the bonding math adds up. I remember finding several amino acids, with unintended positively charged carbons

Bad luck. In contrast I'm a little luckier: I have 'til the eighth, and our first day is a late start . (Mind you, my free time these weeks, regardless, has been rather limited)

Yes, the basic process is valid, however you should also note that perchloric acid, is generally made in the lab by adding a strong acid like [ce] H2SO4 [/ce] to a perchlorate salt, like sodium or potassium perchlorate, under controlled conditions. Thus, it could be seen as a case of one step forward, one step back. (The alternative method is further oxidising of hypochlorous acid ("aqueous solution of chlorine"), but while it's simple in theory, I believe it's a lot trickier in implementation) Regardless, I don't really see why someone would want to play with perchloric acid; it's some pretty nasty stuff. And if you do choose to attempt the process, (Having some perchloric acid handy) I once again recommend use of a fume hood, or well ventilated conditions, and keeping your acid, dead clear of any organic compounds; being a strong oxidiser as well as acid, the results of contact with organics, is evidently explosive.) I would also recommend use of an ice bath, to control the temperature, adding the acid bit by bit, in small quantities, as well as an excess of sodium hydroxide in the procedure, to completely rid oneself of acid.

Sexthiophene!? http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1350935

Hmmm, I was actually thinking somewhere along the lines of arsepan(e). Maybe the alternative nomenclature- sexthiophene. Found it somewhere in an article in regards to its usage in transistors, though there wasn't enough detail to discern whether it may have been synonymous to some of Butta's listed compounds. I recommend looking for compounds with the prefix "sex" in them- they're quite appealing . Though "hex" is usually prevalent in IUPAC nomenclature.

What's wrong with ethylene oxide? Though in contrast, I've found the method you were discussing, only discover diazomethane is rather explosive Though more importantly (), I'm really not sure on how the hell, given my limited resources, how I can synthesize it, which is a bit of a downer on the whole idea . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diazomethane hence the following: Thanks for the note. I'll take take it iodides wouldn't be too bad (As I lack bromine salts and whatnot).

Well, that is true, and I do find, having in several poorly controlled experiments smelt a smidge of acid, that many acids have a rather similar "aromatic taste" to them. (Kind of like the sour taste of lemon juice, only more sour, and dry) Regardless, you're right that it doesn't constitute as proper experimental proof. I recommend that you (Melvin) add the "acid" product to something like copper hydroxide and see what becomes of it. (Posting the results for our greater benefit) Best of luck! ps: I've just realised, that it actually wouldn't be rather difficult to control acid concentration. One could simply slowly vent HCl vapour, into the flask with the acid/ chloride/ sulfate product.

Thanks John! So for my initial case, the reaction would be: [ce] CH3CH2CH2OH + HBr -> CH3CH2CH2Br + H2O [/ce] [ce] CH3CH2CH2Br + Mg -> CH3CH2CH2MgBr [/ce] [ce] CH3CH2CH2MgBr + H2C=O -> CH3CH2CH2-CH2-OMgBr [/ce] [ce] CH3CH2CH2-CH2-OMgBr + HBr -> CH3CH2CH2CH2OH + MgBr2 [/ce] Though, I'm sorry my examples limited the output; I'm not purely focusing on alcohols, and am open to any methods. It's purely out of interest.

Aiya! I didn't mean magic literally! However you did say yes: So whaat methods' date=' and reagents are available circumstantially to do so, in most cases? ps: I used the word magically, thinking on the following thread... Good times...

I was wondering, but out of interest, is there any means, (reaction, process, etc.) by which one could break the linkage amine- phenyl group linkage, within the molecule of acetaminophen? I was thinking of it as a different route to produce an amino acid, as it wouldn't be difficult, consecutively, with a strong oxidiser, to convert the methyl group, to a carboxylic acid group. [ce] OH-C6H6-NH-CO-CH3 [/ce] (Acetaminophen) [ce] 2NH2-CO-CH3 + 3O2 -> 2NH2-CO-COOH + H2O [/ce]

Out of interest, are there any simple reagents or methods that can be applied in order lengthen carbon chains (given the proper functional groups, and so forth)? I say this, in the sense of, "Magically adding carbons." For example: [ce] CH3CH2CH2OH ->[delta{{X}}] CH3CH2CH2CH2OH [/ce] or, in a similar fashion, is there a means to bring this process to work in reverse, subtracting carbons? [ce] CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2OH ->[delta{{X}}] CH3CH2CH2CH2OH [/ce]

That's the only context' date=' in which I can see this as a realistic possibility. After all, idea, mood, and emotion, from a scientific point of view, are really a by- product of chemical interactions; which are material and physical (I do personally find science to generally agree with the materialistic school). Thus, one could assume that if there are certain parts of genes which have an impact on these interactions, to an extent, happiness (yay dopamine!) can be inherited, and for those don't inherit it in a great enough propensity, there are always [b']supplements[/b] !

Ah, thanks for the info. Interestingly enough, I was looking through a biochem text I was given (I've been searching through a variety, as when you are planning to waste hundreds of dollars, you might as well do so contented by the content), and I found a chart comparing several bacteria, animals, and of course human beings, in terms of the (molar) percent fraction of the organism's total DNA content, that each of the four residues takes up (on average). I found that particularly in mammalian cells (which for reasons unkown to me, were the only examples of eukryotic cells, given in the text) the percentage taken up by guanine and cytosine was exactly equal (given rounding to the closest 0.1 percent), while there always seemed to be slightly more adenine than thymine. For example, in humans, 30.1% of the DNA content is thymine, while 30.4% is adenine, resulting in a difference of (about) 0.3%. Or similarly, in cows, there is a 0.3% difference in terms of adenine versus thymine content. (A= 29%, T= 28.7%) Pigs on the other hand, had a adenine surplus of an even larger 0.7%. (A= 29.8%, T= 29.1%) Can polyadenylation, be seen as a rational explanantion for this, in DNA, just as in RNA, apart from the slight deviations, due to simple experimental variation, or is it only part of the explanation? Or more broadly, how is the excess adenine channeled, in DNA, and why is it present? [edit] Had to remove further, "why questioning," following examination of UC's link.

PV= k or, or to phrase it differently, (and perhaps more accurately) P1V1= P2V2 My hint is to simply examine firstly, what the actual value of nRT is, and then compare it to the combined gas law (PV/T = k), and avogadro's law (V/n = k) in terms of content.