Chemistry is the science of change. But why do chemical reactions take place? Why do chemicals react with each other? The answer is in thermodynamics and kinetics. These two are arguably the most important concepts to grasp in chemistry. But sometimes, even after several years of basic chemistry education, it is not easy to form a clear picture on how they govern reactivity! Tutorial Review: Contents and Introduction In this tutorial, we will try to introduce and summarize what these two concepts are, and their implications in chemical reactivity. This is obviously an introduction, intended fo ..read more

I’m sure everyone has had those moments when they aren’t getting what they need from their teachers or syllabi. There comes a time in everyone’s life where self-learning is important. Typically, I’ve found that it’s more useful to self-learn because you’re already interested in the concepts. That’s a perfect situation in which having one of the best chemistry books for self-study comes in handy! You already want to learn, and you can dive deeper into certain aspects of the subject matter. Also, if either you or your kids are being home-schooled you may feel like you or them aren’t getting the ..read more

What is the Swern Oxidation? What can you do with this reaction? What is the mechanism of the Swern oxidation? How do you actually run this reaction in the lab and what are their most relevant practical features? These are some of the questions that I will try to answer in this guide, as someone who has run this reaction in the lab countless times. What Is the Swern Oxidation? The Swern oxidation is the oxidation of a primary or secondary alcohol to an aldehyde or a ketone, respectively, by the combination of oxalyl chloride and dimethylsulfoxide followed by triethylamine. The Swern Oxidation ..read more

Note from Chemistry Hall: Today I would like to share with you a recommendation of a YouTube channel. This is how the people at ‘Crash Course’ tackle organic chemistry teaching by using videos. I checked a couple of videos and they explain important concepts in a clear and conversational manner. If you are learning organic chemistry at an introductory level, be sure to check it out! Now follows the guest presentation by the editors of the course: For many students, video content is a useful tool to supplement classroom learning and review concepts. At Crash Course, we create free online video ..read more

Spiders are not aggressive creatures.  Believe it or not, they are as afraid of human beings as we are to them. However, there are instances when they can cause nuisances in the household, interfering with our daily activities. They might start to cause stress and pain.  The only time that spiders show their aggressive nature is when they are provoked or agitated.  This usually happens when we attempt to get rid of them. They retaliate in return. When they do this, they resort to biting and secrete spider venom into the skin.  If you enjoyed our last journey covering the di ..read more

Electrochemistry is a branch of physical chemistry (we have previously analyzed the best general books for physical chemistry), which is important enough that it deserves especial attention. It studies the movement of chemical charges, electrons, anions, cations, both in solution or at the surface of electrodes. To study electrochemistry, you must have a basic understanding of physical chemistry, and math. Of course, electrochemistry has many uses and applications. Fuel cells can convert chemical energy to turn fuel oxidation into electrical power. Students often find electrochemistry to be ch ..read more

Chemistry is oftentimes called the central science because of how it can act as meeting point for other fields of science. A perfect example is how chemistry can merge with biology. In this review article, we want to help you find the best biochemistry textbook for your need. Any of these texts will allow you to tackle the study of this common subfield of chemistry and biology. But it is always important to figure out which one is best for your particular situation, no matter if you are a student, an educator setting up a course, or a science enthusiast! What Is Biochemistry? Biochemistry stud ..read more

What is the color of oxygen? Why we, including all forms of life, cannot live without it? What is so special about this element? You may have asked these questions yourself – and so have many others. Air bubbles in water. Indeed, oxygen is one of the most abundant chemical elements on the planet, and it has been baffling scientists since its official discovery in 1773 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele and Joseph Priestley, independently. You will know why I said official when we get to the some facts about oxygen later. Associated with the chalcogen group, molecular oxygen, dioxygen, or O2, is an extrem ..read more

When I was working as a scientist, I realised that there was great disparity between the information you could find in peer reviewed journals, compared to the information you can find in public. But the thing is, scientists like you and me are just like anybody else. We still use google and social media, except the information we want is lacking or just not as readily available. And that’s simply because scientists are just not as good at marketing themselves. In this post, I’m going to discuss some ideas so that you can start networking as a scientist, share your existing scientific knowledge ..read more

Maybe you are starting to get interested in science. This can be a great hobby in your life. Or maybe you’ve been into science experiments for quite a while now. If that’s the case, you probably are familiar with how great this is. Getting into the realm of science is really fulfilling because it requires knowledge, patience, and hard work. But sometimes it’s difficult to find inspiration. What to do as your next science home project? Don’t worry! We’re here to help you with the best science experiment kits for adults that you can find. Maybe you are tired of the typical crystallization experi ..read more