Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Practice questions for ACS final
Hi Folks,
Here is a website I found which has a lot of practice problems to help us prepare for the ACS final. There are links to various topics with a lot practice problems. You might want to try it and see how you have mastered a particular area/ topic:
http://web.nmsu.edu/~jferrari/category/ochem/
Good Luck studying!
Here is a website I found which has a lot of practice problems to help us prepare for the ACS final. There are links to various topics with a lot practice problems. You might want to try it and see how you have mastered a particular area/ topic:
http://web.nmsu.edu/~jferrari/category/ochem/
Good Luck studying!
Lecture: New Approaches to the Prevention of Lung Tumor Recurrence by Dr. Grinstaff
Dr. Grinsaff started off his presentation speaking on something in which he had helped put on the market, which I though was very interesting, since it is nice to see how the whole cycle of research data and finally putting all of those long hours of research to real world problems. First it is important to state that lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in the world. Out of the 200,000 people who get lung cancer each year, 165,000 people die from lung cancer each year. Most people who have lung cancer are diagnosed at a late stage ( 3 or 4). When lung cancer is found early in levels 1A and 2A, a surgical resection is done and the cancer is removed.
Unfortunately most of the times the resection is "dirty" which means that the Dr. knows that they have left microscopic cancer cells which will come back and probably even metastasize. Normally these people only have a 5 year survival rate which is very sad because other cancers like breast cancer have a much higher rate of survival. The cause of which was not discussed. The entire lobe of the lung may be removed although the physician would have to determine the cost and benefits scenario with their patients, the cancer does not return but they will lose significant lung function. In a large study, scientists have shown data in which radioactive seeds were inserted into the margin of a patient during surgery which shows promising data, although it is dangerous to the medical providers who are inserting these radioactive particles in the patient after surgical resection and then are closed which surgical staples.
A part of Mr. Grinstaffs research was to create a better standard of care by reducing exposure that is beneficial to everyone involved. Now one of the injections used for treatment of lung cancer is Pax-tol, which is very ineffective since almost none of the medication goes to the correct site. The problems with most of theses medications are... are they going into the correct site? What is the duration in which the medication is staying in place and what is the dose of the medication?
There are two ways that were discussed in how to attack this problem, nano particles and film/mesh. Nano particle technology respond to external stimuli( pH, temperature, swelling, shape, hydrophobicity exc) The model in which Dr. Grinstaff concerned pH and swelling. He wanted to know if he could dump the drug locally and cause a change in the pH which would then lead to a more potent drug. The response of internal pH of the cell cause the nano particles to enlarge which gets more medication inside the cancerous cell. Dr. Grinstaff and his research group have created eNP'S with beneficial characteristics using simple emuslion polymerization. His research has shown positive results in recurring growth in mice.( which were used the animal model)
The second way in which Dr. Grinstaff researchers wanted to attack the problems associated with lung cancer was film and mesh. Films/grafts are inserted into the surgical site and seal the incision as they normal would with surgical staples. The meshes are made from polyglycerol which have the ability to bind with fatty acids/lipids. After completing invivo trials the data showed that the films prevented re-occurrence.
One day Dr. Grinstaff decided he wanted to learn about super-hydrophobicity molecules and how it would or could correlate with the research that he was already doing. He thought that they could use the meshes to make microscopic pockets of air against layers of cells which would be used as a barrier so that drugs could not escape. The data showed positive results indicating that cytotoxicity was prevented.
I work with patients most days at the Cancer Center here in Greensboro, and one of my patients has radiation everyday and chemotherapy every 2 weeks for 3 days each week. When I heard of this seminar, I knew it would be the one that I would make time to hear. It was very interesting to me since I LOVE understanding the mechanisms in which a disease becomes a disease. All in all I thought this was a very worth while presentation and I'm glad I made time to go.
Unfortunately most of the times the resection is "dirty" which means that the Dr. knows that they have left microscopic cancer cells which will come back and probably even metastasize. Normally these people only have a 5 year survival rate which is very sad because other cancers like breast cancer have a much higher rate of survival. The cause of which was not discussed. The entire lobe of the lung may be removed although the physician would have to determine the cost and benefits scenario with their patients, the cancer does not return but they will lose significant lung function. In a large study, scientists have shown data in which radioactive seeds were inserted into the margin of a patient during surgery which shows promising data, although it is dangerous to the medical providers who are inserting these radioactive particles in the patient after surgical resection and then are closed which surgical staples.
A part of Mr. Grinstaffs research was to create a better standard of care by reducing exposure that is beneficial to everyone involved. Now one of the injections used for treatment of lung cancer is Pax-tol, which is very ineffective since almost none of the medication goes to the correct site. The problems with most of theses medications are... are they going into the correct site? What is the duration in which the medication is staying in place and what is the dose of the medication?
There are two ways that were discussed in how to attack this problem, nano particles and film/mesh. Nano particle technology respond to external stimuli( pH, temperature, swelling, shape, hydrophobicity exc) The model in which Dr. Grinstaff concerned pH and swelling. He wanted to know if he could dump the drug locally and cause a change in the pH which would then lead to a more potent drug. The response of internal pH of the cell cause the nano particles to enlarge which gets more medication inside the cancerous cell. Dr. Grinstaff and his research group have created eNP'S with beneficial characteristics using simple emuslion polymerization. His research has shown positive results in recurring growth in mice.( which were used the animal model)
The second way in which Dr. Grinstaff researchers wanted to attack the problems associated with lung cancer was film and mesh. Films/grafts are inserted into the surgical site and seal the incision as they normal would with surgical staples. The meshes are made from polyglycerol which have the ability to bind with fatty acids/lipids. After completing invivo trials the data showed that the films prevented re-occurrence.
One day Dr. Grinstaff decided he wanted to learn about super-hydrophobicity molecules and how it would or could correlate with the research that he was already doing. He thought that they could use the meshes to make microscopic pockets of air against layers of cells which would be used as a barrier so that drugs could not escape. The data showed positive results indicating that cytotoxicity was prevented.
I work with patients most days at the Cancer Center here in Greensboro, and one of my patients has radiation everyday and chemotherapy every 2 weeks for 3 days each week. When I heard of this seminar, I knew it would be the one that I would make time to hear. It was very interesting to me since I LOVE understanding the mechanisms in which a disease becomes a disease. All in all I thought this was a very worth while presentation and I'm glad I made time to go.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Grignard reagents.
While writing my formal lab report on Grignard reagents, I tried to get some industrial uses of the reagents so I goggled it and found that, Grignard reaction is
a key step in the industrial production of Tamoxifen which is currently used
for the treatment of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer in women. Does anyone have an idea how this works? Thank you.
ACS
What is the best way to study for the ACS exams? I have been going through the table of contents in the study guide. Is that enough to prepare you for the ACS exam? Need help.
Hello everyone,
As the semester comes to a close, and for most of us the school year, i think we should reflect on Organic Chemistry as a whole. I began this class last semester thinking it was going to be the hardest course around. I had been told since high school to dread Organic Chemistry and to avoid it at all cost. I bought the Organic Chemistry I for dummies before starting the school year and found it to be very helpful. It was information I did not fully understand, but it prepared me for what was to come. I experienced the first week of Organic, and was thoroughly surprised at how duable! it was. Meaning it was not the nightmare I had imagined. I knew I needed to stay on top of my game, and so I did ending that semester with an A. This second semester was slightly more challenging. There were more reactions and I began with a new instructor. The class time was also shorter from my previous class period, so there was some getting use to. I have to say I did not think I could learn so many reactions and actually understand what I was doing. I thank both my instructors for their vast knowledge of the material and how they taught the information. I only hope I can demonstrate the knowledge I have gained on this ACS exam! Blessings to all, it has been nice!
PageCarol Woods
As the semester comes to a close, and for most of us the school year, i think we should reflect on Organic Chemistry as a whole. I began this class last semester thinking it was going to be the hardest course around. I had been told since high school to dread Organic Chemistry and to avoid it at all cost. I bought the Organic Chemistry I for dummies before starting the school year and found it to be very helpful. It was information I did not fully understand, but it prepared me for what was to come. I experienced the first week of Organic, and was thoroughly surprised at how duable! it was. Meaning it was not the nightmare I had imagined. I knew I needed to stay on top of my game, and so I did ending that semester with an A. This second semester was slightly more challenging. There were more reactions and I began with a new instructor. The class time was also shorter from my previous class period, so there was some getting use to. I have to say I did not think I could learn so many reactions and actually understand what I was doing. I thank both my instructors for their vast knowledge of the material and how they taught the information. I only hope I can demonstrate the knowledge I have gained on this ACS exam! Blessings to all, it has been nice!
PageCarol Woods
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Conspiracy Theories: How Bacteria Collude to Harm Us, and How Small Molecules Might Protect
Fellow Organic Chemists,
I attended the Biochemistry seminar two Fridays ago and have finally gotten around to posting about it. First, I was happily surprised by how much Biology was discussed! (I capitalize Biology because it is superior). In a nutshell, the talk was about how bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics over time and how some labs are working to treat bacterial infections in a new way: targeting and shutting down their communication system.
I have an interest in medicine, so I was paying particular attention to this talk. A major way bacteria harm us is by multiplying, collecting themselves into a biofilm, then secreting toxins in fairly high doses. To form a biofilm, bacteria cells evidently need to secret messenger proteins and possess membrane proteins which serve as the basis for cell-cell recognition. By targeting the genes for these membrane proteins and the messenger proteins, it seems possible to cut off the communication of the bacterial cells and thus, make biofilm formation and toxin secretion difficult if not impossible.
The Rgg operon (operon = genes that are always transcribed together as a unit) contains several genes. One of them, Rgg 2, is important for biofilm formation. Another, Rgg3, represses biofilm formation. Dr. Michael Federle, one scientist researching these genes, thus argues that manipulation of either of these two genes could serve as the basis for the next antibiotic. One specific method is to wait until the bacterial cells enter a stage called "competence," where they are ready to take up new genes, and insert a plasmid containing a form of either of these two genes that would hinder the cell's ability to divide and/or form a biofilm.
I loved this talk; human ingenuity knows no bounds, I'm confident in the near future research like this will lead to medicine that can be used to shut down most bacterial infections (at least until they evolve another way of synthesizing biofilms). Also, this particular project represents a fusion of cellular biology, genetics, and organic chemistry (since some ligands in the biofilm formation process are cyclic organic compounds).
I attended the Biochemistry seminar two Fridays ago and have finally gotten around to posting about it. First, I was happily surprised by how much Biology was discussed! (I capitalize Biology because it is superior). In a nutshell, the talk was about how bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics over time and how some labs are working to treat bacterial infections in a new way: targeting and shutting down their communication system.
I have an interest in medicine, so I was paying particular attention to this talk. A major way bacteria harm us is by multiplying, collecting themselves into a biofilm, then secreting toxins in fairly high doses. To form a biofilm, bacteria cells evidently need to secret messenger proteins and possess membrane proteins which serve as the basis for cell-cell recognition. By targeting the genes for these membrane proteins and the messenger proteins, it seems possible to cut off the communication of the bacterial cells and thus, make biofilm formation and toxin secretion difficult if not impossible.
The Rgg operon (operon = genes that are always transcribed together as a unit) contains several genes. One of them, Rgg 2, is important for biofilm formation. Another, Rgg3, represses biofilm formation. Dr. Michael Federle, one scientist researching these genes, thus argues that manipulation of either of these two genes could serve as the basis for the next antibiotic. One specific method is to wait until the bacterial cells enter a stage called "competence," where they are ready to take up new genes, and insert a plasmid containing a form of either of these two genes that would hinder the cell's ability to divide and/or form a biofilm.
I loved this talk; human ingenuity knows no bounds, I'm confident in the near future research like this will lead to medicine that can be used to shut down most bacterial infections (at least until they evolve another way of synthesizing biofilms). Also, this particular project represents a fusion of cellular biology, genetics, and organic chemistry (since some ligands in the biofilm formation process are cyclic organic compounds).
Organic Chemistry and Beer
As an undergraduate at UNC, I took an introductory chemistry course by Professor Malcom D. Forbes. At the end of the semester, he showed us a documentary that had been done on some of his research involving beer.
The basic premise: A group of chemists in Belgium had been trying to figure out why the taste of beer deteriorates over time. To help solve this problem, they sought the help of Professor Forbes, whose research and specialty was "Polymer Photodegradation and Dynamics." With his help, they discovered that the culprit behind the bad taste of beer was the degradation of hops caused by exposure to light. It is for this reason that beer bottles are no longer clear, but instead are made of specific colors which help maintain the quality of beer and control the aging process.
A documentary exists about this research endeavor, but I couldn't find it. Instead, I've located a copy of the published research paper, which can be found here: Mechanism for the Formation of the Lightstruck Flavor of Beer
**Correction**
I'm not sure why the above link redirects to a different article. I think it may be because a subscription is required to view the articles. Regardless, here's a link to the abstract for the correct paper.
Mechanism for the Formation of the Lighstruck Flavor of Beer
The basic premise: A group of chemists in Belgium had been trying to figure out why the taste of beer deteriorates over time. To help solve this problem, they sought the help of Professor Forbes, whose research and specialty was "Polymer Photodegradation and Dynamics." With his help, they discovered that the culprit behind the bad taste of beer was the degradation of hops caused by exposure to light. It is for this reason that beer bottles are no longer clear, but instead are made of specific colors which help maintain the quality of beer and control the aging process.
A documentary exists about this research endeavor, but I couldn't find it. Instead, I've located a copy of the published research paper, which can be found here: Mechanism for the Formation of the Lightstruck Flavor of Beer
**Correction**
I'm not sure why the above link redirects to a different article. I think it may be because a subscription is required to view the articles. Regardless, here's a link to the abstract for the correct paper.
Mechanism for the Formation of the Lighstruck Flavor of Beer
Banana Oil Synthesis Reaction- Fischer Esterification
I had to do a formal report on banana oil synthesis and I had to show the mechanism for it. I am posting this mechanism so everyone can review about Fischer Esterification too.
Reaction:
Mechanism:
Saturday, April 27, 2013
ACS Exam
Ma'am,
This is my first ACS exam ever. Never did this at any other universities. How does the grading process go for a standardized like this? Will it be a current ACS exam? Should we expect to see a lot of NMR or IR on the exam? If so, will there be charts given to look up peaks and trends? This is a new feat to understand for me, sorry. Thank you for your time.
Respectfully,
PageCarol Woods
This is my first ACS exam ever. Never did this at any other universities. How does the grading process go for a standardized like this? Will it be a current ACS exam? Should we expect to see a lot of NMR or IR on the exam? If so, will there be charts given to look up peaks and trends? This is a new feat to understand for me, sorry. Thank you for your time.
Respectfully,
PageCarol Woods
ChemDraw - Common Medications
One of the nice things about organic chemistry is being able to understand the structural drawings for common medications and think about the chemical interactions based on the structure. I used Chemdraw to draw four common medications that are prescribed to treat four common conditions:
- Metoprolol - B1-receptor-inhibitor, used to treat cardiovascular diseases, particularly hypertension.
- Albuterol - B2-receptor-agonist, used to treat asthma and COPD.
- Metformin - biguanide oral anti-hyperglycemic, used to treat diabetes mellitus.
- Celexa - SSRI anti-depressant, used in the treatment of major depression.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Ma'am,
As I have been going through the book studying, I notice there is a section on Cyanohydrins. Do we need to know this for the exam on Friday. We did not go over it in class, so I wasn't sure whether I needed to know that information. Is there anyway you can do some review tomorrow, near the end of class? The review sessions are always on Tues and Thurs, days of which I cannot get to Greensboro. I found the review that you did for the second test during class was very helpful to me.
PageCarol Woods
As I have been going through the book studying, I notice there is a section on Cyanohydrins. Do we need to know this for the exam on Friday. We did not go over it in class, so I wasn't sure whether I needed to know that information. Is there anyway you can do some review tomorrow, near the end of class? The review sessions are always on Tues and Thurs, days of which I cannot get to Greensboro. I found the review that you did for the second test during class was very helpful to me.
PageCarol Woods
Organic Humors
When I am in lab, I'm like this!
Good Jokes :D
1.Two scientists walk into a bar… the first one says,
“I’ll have some H2O.” The second one says, “I’ll have some H2O, too.”
And then he dies.
2.
What did the Hydrochloric Acid say to the Sodium Hydroxide?
Your Basic! Ha…..HA
3.Oooh Try to answer this!
Oxygen Hydrogen Sodium Sodium…what’s my name?
3.Oooh Try to answer this!
Oxygen Hydrogen Sodium Sodium…what’s my name?
study help
Here's a pretty good website to help with studying and review. Has practice questions as well as tutorials.
http://ochem.jsd.claremont.edu/practice.htm
http://ochem.jsd.claremont.edu/practice.htm
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Need Help- ChemDraw
Hi All,
I just installed Chemdraw and I cannot figure out how to use it to draw structures for my formal report. Can anyone walk me through how to use it to draw organic structures?
Thanks,
Frank.
I just installed Chemdraw and I cannot figure out how to use it to draw structures for my formal report. Can anyone walk me through how to use it to draw organic structures?
Thanks,
Frank.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Grignard Synthesis Of Triphenylmethanol From Methyl Benzoate
Hey guys, so I have a formal report due soon on Grignard Synthesis Of Triphenylmethanol From Methyl Benzoate, and I just needed help in confirming if my mechanism is right, and that I didn't make silly mistakes here and there..
This is the mechanism that I have:
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Thank you!
This is the mechanism that I have:
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Ranking Help
So I finally figured this one out, after numerous attempts. I have read the solution on why it is what it is. However, I am having the hardest time REALLY understanding why the nitrile goes in that position. I know it has to do with it not having a carbonyl like the others, but can someone express this to me in SIMPLER terms??Thanks
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