The smell of cyclopentadiene or more accurately, dicyclopentadiene can turn some stomachs. I actually happen to like the smell of diCp. And the Cp ligand is one of the most…

It is always a bit weird. The latest paper always seems to be the favorite paper. A big heart felt thanks to everyone who made this newest paper a reality.…

Always nice to see when former students do well in the real world. Pat Fier worked in the lab 2009-2010. Now selected as one of C&E News Talented Twelve I…

I have never been a big fan of the oil bath. Ever since grad school, using exposed Nichrome wire and a paper clip as the stir bar, it always seemed…

This is what happens when the yield is not very high in the various reactions. You have to go to microscale. I got frustrated by having to use a filter…

So many holes to drill. From the left, a small aluminum insert for the 1 inch tube when making KC8. I found out that the VWR heaters only go to…

Always exciting to hear when former students are doing well. Nina Bonde, who did research in 2017 making diruthenium dimethyl complexes, was just awarded a graduate research fellowship by the…

I recently found out that hydrate really does mean water, as in Ni(acac)2.hydrate does need drying on the vacuum line to reduce the water content. If not, then the reaction…

The chemistry club t-shirts are always good for a laugh. I though I would highlight two pieces of clothing that I think have a really cool chemistry connection. The first…

In the previous version of our photolysis set up (Let there be light entry) we were sticking the NMR tubes with our photoactive material in a fluorescent light bulb. The…