Chemistry 324 - Spring 2008

A number of you have stopped by to talk about the exam’s problems, or perhaps I should say, problems you’re having with the exam.

In order to minimize any inequities that might arise from me giving information to some students and not others, here is a summary of major items that I have communicated:

Problem #1

1. I mis-lettered the parts of problem #1. It starts with part b instead of part a. Oh well. Please follow the lettering in the exam.
2. C-Li bonds are drawn as covalent in the figures. This is convenient for the artist (me), but for purposes of drawing and analyzing pericyclic reactions, you may find it more useful to view this as an ionic bond.
3. Other aspects of the formulas might also be adjusted to make them more convenient for drawing and analyzing pericyclic reactions. (Just one of several possible hints: there is more than one way to draw a benzene ring…)

Problem #2

1. I have given you incomplete information about stereochemistry. I don’t intend to change that. Do the best you can. Perhaps more than one outcome is possible. Perhaps not.

Overall

1. Although this is a take-home exam, it is not meant to be a marathon exam. It was constructed as a take-home so that I wouldn’t have to sacrifice class time for the exam, and you would be able to do some modeling. I really figured that the non-modeling portion of the exam could be completed in an hour or less.