Provides a running commentary on a chemistry instructor's first day in a first course in chemistry. Focuses on the use of fire and chemists' attempts to explain this phenomenon. Provides the ongoing descriptions of the experiments, a summary of the observations, and the key comments made by the instructor. (TW)

Discusses: structure of the enzyme molecule; active site; reaction mechanism; transition state; factors affecting enzyme reaction rates, concentration of enzyme; concentration of substrate; product concentration; temperature effects and pH effects; factors causing a lowering of activation energy; proximity and orientation effects; substrate strain…

Discusses danger of explosions with molten salts baths, commonly used as heat-transfer media. One such explosion involved use of a bath containing 3-lb sodium nitrite and 1-lb potassium thiocyanate. Although most commercially available mixtures for heat transfer contain oxidizers, a reducer (thiocyanate) was included which possibly triggered the…

Traces the development of the Arrhenius equation from its beginning, examining the more important alternate proposals and the work that supported them. Aside from its historical interest, this examination affords insight into how scientific progress is made. (JN)

Discusses the availability of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, and minerals in processed food. (JN)

Four cases which illustrate statistical factors in complexation reactions (where two of the reactants are monodentate ligands) are presented. Included are tables showing statistical factors for the reactions of: (1) square-planar complexes; (2) tetrahedral complexes; and (3) octahedral complexes. (JN)

Supports, affinity ligands, immobilization, elution methods, and a number of applications are among the topics considered in this discussion of affinity chromatography. An outline of the basic principles of affinity chromatography is included. (JN)

Presents (for a broad chemistry relationship) information on solvation energies and their role in determining the course of reactions in solution. Also provides some simple "ground rules" for understanding and predicting solvation effects. (JN)

Discusses effects of thermal processing on proteins, focusing on (1) the Maillard reaction; (2) heat denaturation of proteins; (3) aggregation, precipitation, gelation, and degradation; and (4) other thermally induced protein reactions. Also discusses effects of thermal processing on muscle foods, egg proteins, fruits and vegetables, and cereal…

Provides and discusses an equation which, when combined with the well-known Ricci equation for oxyacids, results in a generally useful equation for dealing with acid dissociation experiments and analyses. (JN)

Discusses: (1) characteristic initial velocity behavior (considering the five-step reaction sequence for rapid equilibrium-order bisubstrate mechanisms); (2) dead-end inhibition; (3) inhibition by single products; and (4) an activator as a leading reactant. (JN)

Presented is a concise and critical account of developments in nonequilibrium thermodynamics. The criterion for stability of nonequilibrium steady states is critically examined for consecutive and monomolecular triangular reactions, autocatalytic reactions, auto-inhibited reactions, and the Lotka-Volterra model. (JN)

Isobutylene is an important bulk chemical for the petroleum industry. Dimerization and hydrogenation reactions produce the standard fuel octane rating comparison. This classic chemistry is often misrepresented in modern texts, however, and this paper attempts to correlate the physical organic principles that apply. (Author)

Chemical actions in the brain result in cognitive, emotional, neuroendocrine, neuromuscular, and/or neurocirculatory effects. Developments in understanding brain chemistry are discussed, considering among others, neurotransmitter chemistry, neuropeptides, drugs and the brain, antidepressants, and actions of minor tranquilizers. (JN)

Discusses the role of zinc in various enzymes concerned with hydration, hydrolysis, and redox reactions. The binding of zinc to protein residues, properties of noncatalytic zinc(II) and catalytic zinc, and the reactions catalyzed by zinc are among the topics considered. (JN)