New Year

Happy new year to all, especially to the students of the 2008 batch in 6.08, 6.09 and 6.12 Chemistry HL classes.

Life is not easy. In fact, we are quite certain that life is tough. But Chem HL is easy, and you will get a high grade if you read through every single entry in this blog and do your homework. Heh.

Reasons For Colour

There's a beautiful little web-exhibit on the reasons why things are coloured. You can find it here. The page which is probably most relevant for students doing spectroscopy is here.

Take A Break

For all the sad and depressed would-be analytical chemists, here is an entertaining look at the electromagnetic spectrum. There are a lot of weird things making waves out there...

Professional Development

This is for those of you who are thinking of becoming professional chemists or taking up a career in which chemistry will play a role in your professional development.

The first place to begin with is, of course, your university life. Many good universities exist at which a chemical education is possible. This is not the place to discuss them.

Next, consider your membership of the local chemical sciences organisation, by state or country. For example, having settled for the time being in the Republic of Singapore, I am a member of the Singapore National Institute of Chemistry (SNIC). I am also a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Also consider your membership of blanket organisations which extend your professional role. As an educator, I am a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). It is often interesting to see how your professional area dovetails with others. My membership of the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) helps with this.

In general, you don't have to be a member of every organisation which comes your way. But take time to look at organisations whose annual events, publications and activities help to maintain, extend and update your professional knowledge and role.
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pH Indicators

For no particular reason, I have surmised that it is good for all alchemical scholars to understand one of the key concepts in analytical alchemy – the use of coloured indicators to determine the endpoint of a neutralisation reaction.

A wonderful link can be found HERE.

Remember, not all indicators change colour at the equivalence point. And that link will show you the truth in false but reasonable true colours. Haha.

Advice To Chemistry Extended Essay Students

1. If you have hazy ideas about doing a Chemistry EE, stop. Ask yourself the following questions.

1.1 What is the chemical subject – the compound, experimental set-up or reaction – you intend to examine?
1.2 What is the scope – the reactions of a compound, the applications of a set-up, the variables of a reaction – of your examination?
1.3 What hypothetical outcomes do you expect? Even if you have no specific expectations, what areas of theory inform your research?

2. Make sure you have discussed every one of these points with your EE supervisor. This is your FIRST MAJOR SESSION with your supervisor. Following the discussion, draft a one-page summary (about 300-500 words) of that discussion and submit it for checking and further comments.

3. Based on the returns, plan a research and experimentation schedule; aim for about 40 hours of planning and research, about 20-30 hours of lab work (spread into 4-6 hour shifts, not longer, and not too much shorter). You need to have a channel of discussion (MSN, email etc) open for SHORT communications with your supervisor.

4. Execute the plan, drafting a short account (100 words or a bit more) after each session to keep your supervisor informed of progress. Make sure that you reflect on that progress, figuring out how to improve things, get better results, clarify concepts etc. Make notes of your own cognitive processes as you execute the plan.

5. Write up by assembling your notes and findings.

5.1 Start by doing the easiest thing – assemble them in chronological order.
5.2 Next, assemble them in the order the rubric demands: research question, methodology/approach, analysis/interpretation, argument/evaluation, conclusion.
5.3 Write your abstract.
5.4 Ensure that all the formal presentation guidelines are observed (biblio, formatting, word count etc).
5.5 Your holistic judgement grade depends to a large extent on how much intelligent work you have done, the quality of the intelligent behaviour you have shown, and your communication of this and other things to your supervisor.

6. Submit the first draft to your supervisor by the end of the last term in Year 5. This is the absolute latest realistic time for a first draft. The earlier the better, as long as you don't compromise on quality.

7. Let your supervisor say as much as possible for discussion of this first draft; it is the SECOND MAJOR SESSION with your supervisor. If you don't intend to listen to your supervisor, you shouldn't be doing this EE anyway. So pay attention with a view to major holiday homework.

8. Try to give a first draft update within a week or two, for minor corrections (if you have been good) or a barracking (if you haven't been good).

9. When Year 6 starts, you should be able to submit your second draft at near-final or final quality. You will then have a fair amount of time to prettify your work before the real final submission.

10. Have fun!
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Quick Organics

This is a quick revision source for those of you still coping with organic chemistry. It's a very neat summary, and it's been around a long time. I still wish that students would show the driving intelligence to learn which is oft shown by the creation of personal data structures.

Notes given by an instructor are fine. But they are first of all a communication coded by one brain in the hope that another, completely different, brain will decode it similarly and be guided by it equivalently. This is not as efficient as a brain working on established information and reconfiguring such material for its own use.
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