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Demystifying Synthetic Organic Laboratory Techniques or 'Not Voodoo X.4'

For everything you ever need to know about synthetic organic chemistry practical advice and tips: http://chem.chem.rochester.edu/~nvd/?page=home

The site 'Not Voodoo X'  has just been updated http://www2.chem.rochester.edu/~nvd/new/index.php and the Purification section expanded with Distillation techniques http://www2.chem.rochester.edu/~nvd/new/pages/purification.php?page=purify_distillation and further updates will be added. The latest is ‘Flash Column Chromatography’ http://www2.chem.rochester.edu/~nvd/new/pages/chromatography.php?page=flash_column_tips
Please note: Further updates are being made daily and it's best practice to use the original link to see what changes have been made 
http://chem.chem.rochester.edu/~nvd/?page=home and the above 'Not Voodoo X.4' link is only a beta testing version before it's final release.

Another useful US-based Organic, Analytical and General Chemistry learning resource is Chemistry LibreTexts https://chem.libretexts.org/

Of course, don't forget the RSC's own LearnChemistry website http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry for excellent resources for learning and teaching.
The RSC interactive Periodic Table app can be accessed from http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table

The latest Synthetic Organic Chemistry iPhone/iPad app to be added is the well-known Organic Syntheses https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/organic-syntheses/id1087152400?mt=8

 

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In recognition of The International Year of Chemistry (IYC 2011) and the future role of Chemistry in Pharma, Thomson Reuters have published a report 'The Changing Role of Chemistry in Drug Discovery'. I was delighted to be the interviewer and researcher for the report (David Bradley co-author) which is now available http://t.co/9ilthFb .
Posted by Robert Slinn on Nov 25, 2011 12:21 PM GMT
Apart from Reaction Flash, another brilliant iPhone/iPod app, Reagents

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/reagents/id453336174
Posted by Robert Slinn on Oct 4, 2011 1:09 AM BST
Education = Training

I have been an RSC member since 1969 when I first joined the then Royal Institute of Chemistry (RIC) as a student member while studying part-time (day-release) for the Grad RIC part 1 exam. By this route, I later obtained GRSC, MPhil (research) and CChem MRSC. My blog here concerns education and training, which are actually synonymous. For Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) subjects, I believe that we should revert back to an alternative part-time study route for SET subjects and, in particular, Chemistry training. The industrial 'training apprenticeship' scheme provided many of the older RIC (RSC) members (like myself) and I believe that many of today's problems with higher education (HE) funding and student loans (and debts) could be eased using a well-established part-time route in addition to the traditional 3-4 years full-time study at age 18. If industry, through Government subsidy, would agree then perhaps more funding would be available for academic research, the cornerstone of the UK economy.

I strongly believe that this would produce more young people interested in Science and Chemistry (as a career) who, otherwise, may have been discouraged due to financial constraints. In addition, industry would get a workforce more in sync with reality and the 'Catch 22' problem of 'no job, no experience', would be resolved at a stroke. I feel qualified to comment having seen the system and arguments from both sides. Does any Member have any comments ?
(This is a repost of my earlier blog in August 2010 as somehow I have managed to delete all my previous blogs).
Posted by Robert Slinn on Sep 30, 2011 11:05 PM BST
Posted by Robert Slinn on Sep 30, 2011 11:04 PM BST
The full video of Dr Roger Altounyan and the discovery of Sodium Cromoglycate at Fisons Pharmaceuticals, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, is deposited on MyRSC in the video section http://my.rsc.org/video/141
Posted by Robert Slinn on Sep 29, 2011 11:49 PM BST
Posted by Robert Slinn on Sep 29, 2011 11:49 PM BST
I have been reading the biography "Roger, The life and distinguished achievements of Dr. Roger Altounyan", who was a Syrian-born medic and pharmacologist who pioneered the use of Sodium Cromoglycate ('Intal', FPL 670) as a prophylactic for the relief of astma attacks. He discovered the drug action by being a human guinea pig and inhaling guinea pig hairs in a 'soup' to induce his own asthma attacks (as an asthma sufferer) and noting over many years which plant extracts relieved his attacks 'when taken in advance' of an attack. By accident, as happens in these cases, one very active component of Khella, called 'Khellin', was very active and Fisons Pharma collaborated with him and thus FPL 670 was synthesised in 1965 and partially-trialled by 1968. I was very privileged to work on the synthesis of chromone analogues of FPL 670 at Fisons Pharmaceuticals at Holmes Chapel and Loughborough at that time, never actually met him, but saw him several times around on site at Holmes Chapel, Cheshire. There are many entries for him on the internet including http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Altounyan but perhaps the best are http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/breath/breath_exhibit/Cures/transforming/VAs8.html and http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/breath/media/ALTOUN1.MOV and http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/breath/media/ALTOUN2.MOV with short video clips of the man himself. As you may have read, in 1996 the Fisons Group dissolved with the Holmes Chapel manufacturing facility becoming Rhone-Poulenc Rorer then Aventis and now Sanofi-Aventis, and the R & D facility (where I was employed, initially at Holmes Chapel and later Loughborough, Leics) becoming Astra then later AstraZeneca and sadly it now is being closed in 2011 with the loss of 1200 posts. Like the UK pharmaceutical industry with losses in other organizations such as Pfizer notified through this year, it is a very sad loss and waste of resources. Such people as Roger are rare and it is rumoured that he was almost nominated for a Nobel prize for his work. A diagram of the cromoglycate molecule is shown as the logo for this blog 'Organic and Analytical Chemistry'.
Posted by Robert Slinn on Sep 29, 2011 11:24 PM BST
Posted by Robert Slinn on Sep 29, 2011 11:24 PM BST
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