Let's review last week's articles:
Synthesis of the C18-Norditerpenoid Alkaloid Neofinaconitine: A Lesson in Convergent Synthesis Planning
This article is a highlight of a synthesis of what appears to be a very complex molecule, neofinaconitine. I encourage you to look at the schemes that are presented, as they will give you a good idea of what's going on. The group generated a the complex base of the molecule through some Diels-Alder reactions, and used some very neat chemistry to complete the remainder of the structure. They close with, "The development of a successful synthetic strategy, in combination with previous achievements by other groups, has enabled the completion of this efficient and elegant total synthesis, which represents another example of the never ceasing advancement of synthetic organic chemistry." (emphasis added) Does this truly constitute an elegant synthesis? Let me know in the comments.
Short and Sweet: D-Glucose to L-Glucose and L-Glucuronic Acid
This is primarily a synthesis article, and much of the text is given to explanations of reactions and conditions. You are encouraged to look at the schemes and familiarize yourself with new terms. What should be noted is the result. The group was able to cheaply and relatively efficiently produce L-glucose from D-glucose. L-glucose is not readily available but could have biological properties and is therefore sought after. The Jenkinson group was able to use synthetic chemistry to solve a problem in a new way, and should be inspiring to young organic chemists.
Neurotrophic Natural Products: Chemistry and Biology
This review article is a lengthy discussion of neural diseases such as Alzheimer's and Huntington's, their molecular causes, and other areas of interest. I will not go into deep discussion here, but I do feel it necessary to say that this review represents a great jumping off point for future research ideas. As an undergraduate, it is healthy to look into areas where chemistry is being applied and come up with your own hypothesis and think about what direction you would take this field into. This article specifically mentions neurotrophins or neural growth factors, small molecule design, and the potential for chemistry to aid in the mapping of the human brain.
Your assignment for next week is Organic Letters, Volume 16, Issue 2
Smooth Isoindolinone Formation from Isopropyl Carbamates via Bischler–Napieralski-Type Cyclization
Total Synthesis of Heronapyrrole C
A Novel Approach for C–C, C–N, and C–O Bond Formation Reactions: A Facile Synthesis of Benzophenazine, Quinoxaline, and Phenoxazine Derivatives via Ring Opening of Benzoxepines
Give them a read and we will discuss our findings next week.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Monday, January 27, 2014
What I Wish I’d Known as an Undergrad: Applying to Graduate School, Part II
I wanted to go into a little more depth as to what the
process is behind applying and what you can do now to prepare. Every graduate
school will be looking for something different. This post is based off of my
experience and is meant only to be a jumping off point. If you think there is
something I’m missing from this list, let me know and I’ll include it.
GPA: Every school wants to know your GPA and see your
transcript. Often, they will have a minimum GPA requirement, but if they don’t
they are probably still looking for a 3.0 or higher. It’s always a good idea to
safely clear the GPA hurdle as well, so if the school is looking for a 3.2, try
to clear it with a 3.4. This was something that surprised me as when applying,
as I always thought that most schools wouldn’t consider you unless you were
close to a 4.0, but aiming for an A- or B+ in each of your classes is not a bad
goal at all. (Note: It can’t hurt to strive for higher grades, especially if
you want to apply to high-end schools like Cal Tech or Wisconsin-Madison.)
Work Experience: I cannot stress how vitally important research
experience is when applying to graduate school. It’s a good idea to get about
two years’ experience working in a professor’s group. It also means that you
could have your name on a published paper by the time you graduate, which is
really impressive to reviewers. Don’t be afraid to switch groups after a year
or so either, as it helps you look at what sorts of things are being worked on
right now in your chosen field. Also keep your eye out for internships over the
summer months. If they aren’t exactly in your chosen field, don’t worry, the
real world experience will help you grow and stand out on a resume.
Letters of Recommendation: Most schools ask for three or so
letters of recommendation from someone who knows you and your abilities well.
The first two should be easy, after all you hopefully have worked for a couple
of professors by now. The others should come from mentors on internship
opportunities, professors who have taught a couple of your classes and you are
close with, or someone of authority that has a good idea of how you work and
think. Try to have four or five people in your pool to call on when the time
comes to start sending out letters, so start getting to know them now.
GRE: The Graduate Record Exam is often required by graduate
schools as well. The general one is surprisingly simple, considering what you’ve
gone through to get to that point. The math questions are things you’ve done
during your sophomore year of high school, and you should be fine on the other
questions if you are well read. The GRE is important, but generally not weighed
as heavy as other sections. If the school requires the Subject Test (Chemistry
GRE), make sure to prepare for it in advanced, as it is usually only offered a
few times a year.
Statement of Purpose: The wild-card of the bunch. This is
your opportunity to make yourself shine! Look around the internet and ask those
in the know about how your statement of purpose should look, but here are some
quick thoughts.
Your statement should include your research experience,
current topics in your field that interest you, and specific things you like
about the department you are applying to such as faculty and facilities. Be
thourough, but try to keep it between 1-2 pages. Remember, this is not a
personal statement, so leave out the fact that you were the best player on your
Ultimate Frisbee team, however impressive that may be.
Having everything being sparkly clean will mean that you
have a good chance of getting into the vast majority of programs. But what if
one of your areas are lacking? The good news is that every aspect of your
application will be weighed against each other and one area that’s blemished
can be made up for in the other areas. Had a slump sophomore year and now your
GPA will never recover? Post some decent GRE scores, participate in research
groups, show an upward swing of your grades on your transcript, and get some excellent
recommenders and you are back to having a good shot. Make sure to address any
inconsistences in your statement of purpose, and it can’t hurt to have one or
two of your recommenders to also address it and assure the review committee
that all is well now.
For some insight from an actual graduate admission's committee member, check out FSU's Mike Shatruk's AMA on Reddit. And subscribe to the r/chemsitry subreddit to become a part of the world-wide chemistry community.
Best of luck!
-Woodward
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Reading Club - Ange. Chem. Int. Ed., Volume 53, Issue 4
This week's articles come from the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Vol. 53, Issue 4. Read one, two or all three of them over, and come back next Thursday for a discussion.
Synthesis of the C18-Norditerpenoid Alkaloid Neofinaconitine: A Lesson in Convergent Synthesis Planning
Neurotrophic Natural Products: Chemistry and Biology
Short and Sweet: D-Glucose to L-Glucose and L-Glucuronic Acid
Feel free to suggest other articles for future reading.
-Woodward
Synthesis of the C18-Norditerpenoid Alkaloid Neofinaconitine: A Lesson in Convergent Synthesis Planning
Neurotrophic Natural Products: Chemistry and Biology
Short and Sweet: D-Glucose to L-Glucose and L-Glucuronic Acid
Feel free to suggest other articles for future reading.
-Woodward
Monday, January 20, 2014
What I Wish I’d Known as an Undergrad: Applying to Graduate School, Part I
Having just gone through this process, I find myself looking
back on my undergraduate career and wondering what I would have done to better
prepare myself for graduate studies. As a freshman, graduate school was far
away and perhaps not a destination at all.
Knowing what I know now, I want to share this first piece of
very important information: If you want to do research in chemistry, graduate school is vital. Now there
are going to be detractors from that statement I’m sure, but for the most part
it’s true. At the very least, what I want in a career, and what I suspect many
others want as well, requires a Doctorate.
This brings me to important-thing-I-didn’t-know-when-as-a-freshman
number two: Most programs appoint
Doctorates directly, no Master’s needed. Yes, it’s a five year program, but
there is no need to get an official Master’s first. Not only that, but almost
every program waives your tuition, pays you a stipend (about $20,000/year), and
offers benefits like health insurance. Of course you have to earn these shinies
by being a TA or doing research, but not bad for wanting a higher degree.
Finally, I have one last bit of knowledge: Your graduate
school experience will consist of about two
years of classes followed by three or more of research. This is a dream
come true to people like me who enjoy doing research, but if you are hoping for
five years of textbooks (I don’t know why…), you are in for a disappointment. Those
last few years will be spent on you actually contributing to the scientific
community through you thesis. It means original research that you perform under
the direction of your advisor, thinking of something that no one has ever
thought of before. If this is daunting, don’t worry, you have a few years to
mull it over and there will be plenty of inspiration along the way.
Hopefully this sheds light on what to expect in graduate
school. If you would like more information, find a graduate student currently
working one of your classes as a TA or talk to your department’s secretaries to
set up an appointment with one. Also a good idea, talk to professors about your
goals of graduate school and get their ideas as to what to expect and how to
prepare. Best of Luck!
-Woodward
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Revamping MTAP
So it’s been a while. The crazy mess of tests, papers,
finals, and graduate school applications has kept me pretty busy. But now that
the storm is settling down, it is finally time to get back to blogging. And I
actually have a confession to make: I’ve graduated. That’s right, the Chem blog
“for the undergrad, by the undergrad,” is now only half true. I want to be
perfectly clear, this blog isn’t going anywhere and will still have the same
goals in mind. But features such as ‘Notes from Group Meeting’ and ‘Class Notes’
won’t be around anymore. So what can we expect? Nothing is set in stone, but
here is what you can expect to see beginning Monday:
Reading Club – 3-4 Articles from a major publication will be
chosen each week and discussions about them will abound
Highlights – Learn about prominent Scientists with ‘Who the
R.F. Heck is…’ and the development of established reactions in ‘Help Me Name
this Feature’
Current Events – What’s going on in the world of chemistry
and its collective blog-o-sphere?
Specials – Hot topics, current research, announcements, or whatever I feel like
Welcome to the new More
than Arrow Pushing. Let’s go beyond the textbook.
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