Not Voodoo

Not Voodoo Demystifying Synthetic Organic Laboratory Technique

Created by Alison J. Frontier
Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester

Magic Formulas
Magic Formulas
Overview
TLC Stains
Cooling Bath
Washing Glassware
Prepare LDA
Prepare Jones Reagent
Workup Formulas
Tips and Traps
Tips and Traps
Overview
Rules of Thumb
Always and Never
First Time Through
Rookie Mistakes
Proverbs
Leaving the Lab
Improve Yield
Reagents
Reagents
Overview
Reagent Notes
Highly Toxic
Buy it or Make it Yourself?
Pyrophoric or Explosive?
Right Out of the Bottle?
Chromatography
Chromatography:
Overview
Column Chromatography Notes
Flash Chromatography How to
TLC Notes
TLC How to
TLC Troubleshooting
Interesting Statistics
Interesting Statistics:
Overview
A Day in the Life
1, 2, 3 ... Ph.D.
May Require Mojo
A Key to Research Lingo

How To
How To:
Overview
Stay Motivated
Improve Your Yield
Run a Reaction
Run a Flash Column
Degas Solvents
Titrate Alkyllithiums
Weigh Reactants and Reagents
Prepare LDA
Wash Glassware
Remove Reagents During Workup
Monitor a Reaction by TLC
Get a Good Proton NMR Spectrum
Grow X-Ray Quality Crystals
Write an Excperimental
Handle Oils
Use Pyrophoric Reagents
Special Topics
Notes on Special Topics:
Overview
Reaction Notes 1
Reaction Notes 2
Workup Notes
Column Chromatography Notes
TLC Notes
Kende's 20 Points
Equipment Notes 1
Equipment Notes 2
Recordkeeping Notes
Reagent Notes
Characterization Notes
NMR Spectroscopy Notes
Molecular Sieves Notes
Anatomy of a Rxn
Anatomy of a Reaction:
Overview
I. Research Literature Precedent
II. Planning and Strategy
III. The Setup
IV. The Reaction: Analysis I
V. The Quench
VI. The Workup
VII. Diagnosis: Analysis II
VIII. Purification
IX. Characterization Notes
X. Record-keeping Notes
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting:
Overview
Troubleshooting the Experiment
TLC Troubleshooting
Workup Troubleshooting
Flash Column Troubleshooting
Spectroscopy Troubleshoot
Weighing Reagents
Reaction Checklist
Question and Answer
Desert Island
Desert Island:
Overview
Protecting Groups
Reviews and Reference Books
Tools, Tables, and Charts
Oxidations
Textbooks
Websites
Journals

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