This assignment is not an experiment, but is an opportunity for you to do some research on the organic chemistry of a molecule that interests you. You will choose a molecule that must be approved by an instructor (you may not pick one from previous years nor one that another student has already chosen). You will write a paper about the synthesis and/or chemistry of your molecule. Your paper should include general information about the compound (why it is interesting, properties, sources), as well as reactions. You may include reactions used to prepare it and/or reactions that it undergoes. In your discussion of the reactions, you should classify the reaction type, show the mechanism, and compare it to similar reactions studied in class. This project will involve extensive use of the chemical literature and should follow the format used in the Journal of Organic Chemistry. (Be sure to use the correct reference format!). The paper will be 5-7 pages.
How Do I Find a Pet Molecule?
Since your paper needs to be 5-7 pages, you must find a molecule for which you can discuss the chemistry extensively. You can discuss either how it was made or the reactions that it undergoes. If you are looking in the journals, you should look for Total Synthesis Articles. There are also quite a few organic chemistry books in the library which are collections of total syntheses. Many of these books also have the advantage that the reactions are explained in the text by the author, meaning that you don't have to think as much. Trying to find suitable molecules on the internet is generally difficult since there is too much information on the internet.
Show the reactions on the same page as you discuss them.
It's acceptable to refer to organic compounds in your paper by number. Use the number the first time you introduce the compound. The number should be in bold type face in the text and the numbers you use should appear consecutively starting with 1. If you are drawing your structures in by hand, you can designate bold face in your handwriting by using wavy underlining. Don't feel constrained to use the same numbers on the molecules as were used in the journal article which serves as your main reference--you may not be discussing all of the compounds included in the paper.
You do not have to describe ALL of the reactions in a synthetic scheme! Usually, if you describe about 15 total reactions it will be sufficient for your paper.
Do NOT use formulas or acronyms for standard organic reagents in the text of your paper. In a formal paper (like this one), you should refer to chemicals by name, except for the complex organic structures which you are using numbers to distinguish.
Whenever you use this or these, use a noun to convey your subject clearly. "This was a success" is much less informative than "This synthetic approach was a success."
In your reference list, the page numbers for your journal article should indicate the entire length of the article, not merely the page to which you refer at a particular point. When you cite the article again, use the same number you used previously. You may have only one reference in your paper. That is perfectly acceptable.
Don't capitalize chemical names or other random words.
Brand names (e.g., pharmaceutical compounds) and species names should be capitalized, as should the first word in a sentence. Chemical prefixes (numerical or textual) do not count as real words. Thus, these prefixes should not be capitalized, but the chemical name should be if it is the first word in the sentence.