July by Nocturnal-Devil
Happy Independence Day! Today, I will celebrate my independence by not going to my family’s annual gathering in MD, but instead studying for my organic chemistry lab final on Monday. WOO! Go Summer school!
In the spirit of heavy drinking that you might be exposed to tonight during your celebrations, here’s an interesting organic chemistry fact! When an alcohol comes in contact with an acid–like the HCl in your stomach, the first thing that occurs is the protonation of the hydroxyl group.
Protonation is always the first step because OH is a poor leaving group, and (+)OH2 is a good leaving group. The elimination can only occur after protonation, thus forming the double bond.
YAY! Basically, the mechanism for dehydration-elimination of alcohol. Thanks funtrivia.com! But in all honesty, thanks to all the troops who are out there fighting for the USA. Today, we should remember what history has led to this state of freedom that we as Americans are privileged to enjoy, and the long fight ahead that we still have. In the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, “In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.”
Man, I want these cupcakes!
4th of july by ~see-through-silence
Filed under: Life , independence day, july 4th
