Welcome to PeoplesChemist.Com!
Greetings from the People's Chemist! My name is Josh Payette and I am a grad student studying synthetic organic chemistry at the University of Chicago. I have created this site to provide free tutorial help to anyone taking undergrad organic chemistry.
Click the icon below to open up a ChemDraw applet. Draw the molecule of interest and type your question in the box underneath. I guarantee within 24 hrs the answer to your question will be posted on this homepage. Optionally, you may leave your email address for immediate notification when the answer has been posted.
Please feel free to use this service as often as needed. Organic chemistry can be difficult so don't feel embarrassed to ask a question that may seem trivial. Additionally, tough questions seem to roll frequently in homework and on tests; I've got those covered too. Note: the applet may take a little practice- but it works! You will need Java installed (which comes with most computers) too.
To get started with asking your question....
Latest 5 Questions
Q#170: allylic carbocation and carbanion
Submitted On 08/30/09 by Anonymous:How do you draw a 3 carbon carbocation and a 3 carbon carbanion?
Thanks
I think you are talking about allylic carbocations and carbanions. The applet is not working so I will describe them and give another website you can go to. If a negative or positive charge is located adjacent to a C=C then the charge can be stabilized through resonance by two resonance hybrids. To represent these two possible resonance structures a semi-circle can be drawn with a + or - sign; see: http://csi.chemie.tu-darmstadt.de/ak/immel/script/redirect.cgi?filename=http://csi.chemie.tu-darmstadt.de/ak/immel/tutorials/orbitals/molecular/allyl.html
Q#156: Alcohol
Submitted On 12/15/08 by SeriousQuestons:Hey Josh,
What's the difference between Ethyl Alcohol and Isopropyl Alcohol?
Can I drink both of them? Which one is in wine, beer and spirits? How come fermenting grapes makes the one kind, but not the other? How is the other kind made?
Ethyl alcohol (ethanol) has the formula CH3CH2OH and this is compound found in beer, etc... Isopropyl alcohol has the formula CH3CH2CH2OH, commonly known as rubbing alcohol. If ingested this may cause drowsiness or headache but is not very toxic. During fermentation, glucose (having 6 carbons) is ultimately transformed into two molecules of ethanol (4 carbons) and two molecules of CO2 (two carbons). Isopropyl alcohol is made through hydration of propene gas.
Q#151: Correction
Submitted On 10/11/08 by Anonymous: Answer By jpayette:Isopropanol is rather CH3CHOHCH3.
Q#139: Hello to you
Submitted On 10/01/08 by Anonymous:How many atoms of this would it take to equal a mole (a real one, not the unit).
Answer By jpayette:In this there are 5 atoms so 5 x 6.02 x 10^23
Q#138: polymer
Submitted On 08/29/08 by Anonymous:Hey Josh,
I'm reading a patent case about a "solid homopolymer of 4-methyl-1-pentene."
I don't think that is organic, is it? Can you tell me more about it?
I'm not a polymer guy- but yes this is an organic polymer. A homopolymer is where a monomer (4-methyl-1-pentene) is polymerized with itself. This monomer has five carbons. Between C1 and C2 there is a double bond and on C4 there is a methyl (CH3) group.