Lecture Slides…

The following links will provide you with access to pdf’s of my lecture slides.  Could be useful… could be a waste of time.  Check them out and decide for yourself!

Preparation for General Chemistry, CHEM 107 F

General Chemistry I, CHEM 111AF

General Chemistry II, CHEM 111BF

Spring 2025 Schedule…

 Some Awesome Resources…

The following links will provide you with pdf’s of reference textbooks produced by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)…

The Green Book (Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry)

The Red Book (Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry)

The Gold Book (Compendium of Chemical Terminology) 

I particularly enjoy the following statement on pg. 69, section IR-5.2 of the Red Book:

“The final vowels of multiplicative prefixes should not be elided (although ‘monoxide’, rather than ‘monooxide’, is an allowed exception because of general usage).”

So, if we are to follow “the rules,” we should not drop the letters when using prefixes…

But because the general population drops the vowel for a single compound (carbon monoxide versus carbon monooxide), chemists will drop the vowel for various compounds involving oxygen – of course, only when it sounds good. And, of course, tell you that’s how it should be…

Weak, right?

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If you ever find yourself bored to death and needing an activity to keep yourself entertained, consider watching for the next drop in the longest running experiment… the tenth drop of pitch! It’ll happen soon, geologically speaking… it’ll happen before the end of the decade!

Watch for the drop here: The Pitch Drop Experiment

Learn more about it here: Wikipedia

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Though missing the diversity that makes life great, the following link is also awesome!  Every scientist should have a copy so as to enjoy the experiments at home. The following link will provide you access… a little effort on your part and should be able to find a free copy online:

The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments

Because Chemistry…

• One of my chemistry heroes, Dr. Ronald Ragsdale (University of Utah), shared this truth with me… and now I will share it with you!

We say “fluor-ENE,” “chlor-ENE,” “brom-ENE” and, therefore, “iod-ENE”… not “iod-INE”!

Dr. Driscoll (left) and Dr. Ragsdale (right)

(By the way… Dr. Driscoll is also a chemistry hero in my life!)

• Everyone needs to have access to a periodic table.  If you do not already have one, consider downloading mine: Periodic Table
• Another chemistry hero, Mr. Karl Abrams (Saddleback College) shared the following question with me:

Have you ever wondered why it is a bagel with cream cheese looks like the bonding orbitals in benzene?

Note the pi bonding framework is the bagel top / bottom and sigma bonding framework is the cream cheese. 

You even have the hole in the middle!

• Some say there are some similarities between Waldo and me…

…and, of course, between my wife and Wanda!

• Lastly, I am a big fan of the letter “C“…
  • My major: Chemistry
  • My wife: Claudia
  • My parents: Carl and Cindy
  • My H.S. water polo and swim coach: Coach Cholodenko (another hero in my life!)
  • My favorite campus committee: Curriculum Committee
  • My favorite drink: Coffee
  • My hobby: Coin Collecting
  • My average undergrad grade (sadly): C
  • My past interest: Climbing
  • My favorite food: Chinese
  • My favorite dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • And my favorite game: Chess