Explanation of the Multistep Synthesis of Benzilic Acid Essay

The synthesis of several complex organic compounds follows a multistep synthesis. â€Å"Multistep synthesis† refers to the procedure in which the product of one reaction serves as the starting material in the subsequent reaction. The multistep synthesis of benzilic acid begins with a conversion benzaldehyde to benzoin through a condensation reaction. The benzoin then oxidizes into benzil, which undergoes rearrangement to give benzilic acid. Benzoin Synthesis * When two benzaldehyde molecules condense in the presence of thiamine, it leads to the formation of a molecule of benzoin. The thiamine behaves as a coenzyme catalyst. This step of the reaction involves the addition of ethanol and sodium hydroxide into an aqueous solution of thiamine hydrochloride and creating a reaction with pure benzaldehyde. When you heat this mixture to a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius for about 90 minutes and then cool it in an ice bath, the benzoin crystallizes out. Recrystallization of these crystals from hot ethanol yields pure benzoin as a colorless powder. Benzil Synthesis * Benzoin undergoes oxidation in the presence of a mild oxidizing agent such as nitric acid to produce the alpha diketone known as benzil. When you heat benzoin with concentrated nitric acid using a reflux condenser, evolution of reddish brown nitrogen dioxide occurs and then stops. When you add cold water to the cooled reaction mixture, benzil precipitates out as a yellow solid. You can then recrystallize this substance from hot ethanol. 1. Benzilic Acid Synthesis * When you reflux a solution of benzil in ethyl alcohol with potassium hydroxide for 15 minutes and then cool it, it forms the carboxylate salt potassium benzilate. When you dissolve this salt in hot water in an Erlenmeyer flask and add hydrochloric acid to bring the pH down to 2, the salt becomes acidified to yield benzilic acid. Precautions * During the conversion of benzaldehyde to benzoin, you must maintain temperatures below 65 degrees Celsius to obtain benzoin. Take care when refluxing benzoin with nitric acid; the nitrogen dioxide fumes are extremely toxic and can cause lung damage. During the conversion of benzoin to benzil, some benzoin may remain unoxidized. Prevent this scenario by creating a reaction of an ethanolic solution of the benzil with 10 percent sodium hydroxide solution; if benzoin is present, a purple color develops.

Gender issues in asian traditions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Gender issues in asian traditions - Essay Example The Confucians viewed the cosmic order as â€Å"life-giving, relational, and harmonious in the interaction of its parts† and this gratitude for life was visible in their worship of the ancestors (Kelleher 137). Even though Confucianism considered family life and marriage as sacred, relationships, for the Confucians, were hierarchical in nature. As Kelleher points out parents, rulers, husbands and older siblings enjoyed higher social positions whereas the positions of children, subjects, wives and younger siblings were inferior(Kelleher 138). Wives needed to remain submissive to their husbands. The role of women was identified with the earth: Confucianism held that â€Å"the position of women in the human order should be lowly and inferior like the earth, and that the proper behaviour for a woman was to be yielding and weak, passive and still like the earth† (Kelleher 140). In the same way, one can also find similar passive and submissive roles attributed to women in Hin duism. As Young suggests, the role of women and their rituals during this period was limited to maintaining ‘social and cosmic order’. Even though the Vedic women’s role was esteemed as wife and mother, she had to remain as a silent partner in the Vedic rituals. The husband’s role was much prominent as he was the patriarchal head of the family. In Confucianism and Hinduism women were subject to certain codes of conduct. The role of women in Confucianism was very often limited to the family whereas the role played by men was viewed in the wider social-political order. Women were subject to three types of obedience in the family structure: â€Å"as a daughter she was subject to her father; as a wife, to her husband; and when older, to her son† (Kelleher 140). Another crippling factor that restricted woman’s active role was her lack of education. While boys had formal education in history and the classics, girls had to remain at

Anthropology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Anthropology - Assignment Example The new class of leaders can easily be recognized by their message and actions. The book illustrates how Muslim leaders have continued to dissociate themselves with violence. According to the book, modern Muslim leaders are fighting in a new frontier in order to disassociate Islam from terrorism. Following the September 11 attack on the US, Islam was placed in the same class as terrorism (Shadid 34). Thus, the new leaders are striving to defend Islamic religion from terrorism accusation by denouncing violence. Unlike conventional Muslim, the new leaders have also formed political parties to push forward their agenda. Political movements are substituting militant organizations such as Mujahidin army, Taliban and Fatah. The new leaders are also concerned with social transformation through peaceful reforms. This has made them to engage in social activities and civic education. Therefore, the new leaders are proposing democratic leadership instead of the traditional militant organizations. Through the new approach, the new leaders hope to transform the Muslim commu nity significantly. In the education system and practices described by Mottahedeh (mantle of the prophet) and Blank (mullahs on the mainframe), what factors in each produce habits of conformity and what features foster critical examination. How does the Taliban education, described by Shadid (legacy of the prophet), compare? Mottahedeh and Blank evaluate the role of education in Islamic transformation. Both writers examine the role of education in the formation of orthodox Islam. In each form of education system described by the writers, westernization or adoption of western values is a common aspect. According to the books, the Muslim world can only achieve development if it detaches education from westernization. For instance Blank notes that orthopraxy among Muslims has created a high level of scientific sophistication. The author also highlights how educational values have been distorted by

Medication errors Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Medication errors - Assignment Example I would recommend that the CEO focuses on ensuring a harmonious working relationship amongst the employees. She has to work hard to building trust within the organization, promote freedoms and allow all employees of the organization time to be heard through asking questions during meetings and providing their suggestions for the way forward. The CEO has to change the organizational culture and make the organization more flexible and ready to accept and accommodate new changes in personnel, technology.What should quality data be reported and utilized by this board of directors?The organization’s board of directors should utilize the quality performance measures to turn around the fortunes of the hospital. Once the health facility improves the quality of its performance, their customers or patients will certainly be satisfied with their work. Improving quality performance implies dealing with data on medication errors, hospital infections, and x-ray discrepancies among others in order improve on these figures.The minutes of the board’s meetings definitely do not reflect the discussions held in the meeting. This is because some members are not willing to put out their views during the meetings. The organization’s culture and tradition have for a long time undermined contribution from other members. Therefore, while the minutes of the Board minutes may represent the issues deliberated upon in the meetings, they do not definitely reflect the views of every member present at the meeting.

The Role of the Judge in Integrity and Ethics Assignment

The Role of the Judge in Integrity and Ethics - Assignment Example One, the judge has to have an element of compliance with the law. As one of the most senior persons in the criminal justice system, the judge has to set an example of how the accused has to abide by the law by observing the law to the best extent possible. A judge who does not abide by the law in his responsibilities and other personal duties defeats the essence of his/her profession and has no merit being in the justice system to try those accused of breaking the law. Secondly, the judge has to avoid conflict of interest to the best extent possible as one of the best integrity principles. Some judges may have law firms with attorneys that represent accused persons in the court. In such circumstances, a judge would fail the integrity test by hearing a case with one of the attorneys as the partner in such law firms as the judge may be tempted to be biased towards the attorney with whom they have previously shared a law firm. Integrity tests require such a judge withdraw from such a ca se to be heard before a different neutral judge. The third element of integrity is personal responsibility. Every judge has to take it upon him/herself to ensure justice to all parties without compromise (Prenzler, 2009). This is an integrity test that a credible judge has to reflect in all his or her ruling. The public is entitled to have complete trust, respect for the integrity of criminal justice system as well as have confidence in their operations that are done professionally. As such, professions within the criminal justice system have to maintain and jealously guard such public confidence considering that justice is one of the major pillars of any constitution. All criminal justice professionals have to adhere to the highest standards possible without allowing any gaps that may lead the public to doubt such officials to guard such public confidence. Therefore, the role of integrity and ethics in the criminal justice profession is to ensure the public develops and maintains the highest degree of confidence in the institutions and to protect the rights and liberties as spelt out under the constitution to the best way possible.  Ã‚  

Food, The Transmitter of a Cook's Emotions Research Paper - 1

Food, The Transmitter of a Cook's Emotions - Research Paper Example The cook who prepares our food understands this linkage between food and emotion. In addition to the cook’s personal passion for the job, the cook also have a deep understanding that particular foods can make us feel in certain ways; that we will always connect a certain sense of our well being with food (Anon, 2004). This explains why cooks are exerting tremendous effort when they prepare our food. They knew that foods do not only feeds and nourishes the body but also makes us â€Å"feel† in certain ways. Cooks can be considered as â€Å"food artists†. In the same way that a painter can convey emotions with his or her masterpieces, cooks can also transmit his or her emotion through food. In fact, cooks can even transmit a stronger emotion to the consumers than what a visual artist does because the experience in partaking food prepared by the cook is more personal and satisfying compared to an artist who only makes emotional impression with its audience. Ways a cook can transmit emotions through food As stated earlier, food stimulates a â€Å"web of association within us. Foods appeals to our senses and arouses certain emotions that link us to certain people, times, and other places (McDonald, 2007) and being such, is able to transmit emotions to us.

CAPM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

CAPM - Essay Example The CAPM presents partial equilibrium model where agents consider the risk free returns and the probability distributions of the future returns on risky assets as being exogenous. In this paper, I seek to give an in-depth understanding of this model by delving into the logic behind it, exploring critiques levelled against it, and explaining why it is still the model of choice in financial analysis. Finally, I give practical examples of its practical application that show evidence of its usefulness and continued use to date. The CAPM is built on the portfolio model that Harry Markowitz (1959) developed. In the model, a portfolio is selected by an investor at time t-1 which at t produces a stochastic return. Investors are assumed to be risk averse and, in their choosing among portfolios, care is only taken on the mean and the variance of their single-period investment return. This results in investors choosing â€Å"mean-variance-efficient† portfolios, the portfolios in this case 1) given variance, maximizes returns and 2) given expected returns, minimize portfolio return variance. For this, the approach is referred to as mean-variance model. An algebraic condition is provided by the model on asset weights in portfolios that are mean-variant-efficient. This algebraic statement is turned by the CAPM into a prediction that is testable about the connection between expected returns and risk through identification of an efficient portfolio if asset prices should clear all the assets off the market. To identify a mean-variant-efficient portfolio, Sharpe and Lintner added two crucial assumptions. The first one is complete agreement: taking asset prices to clear the market at t-1, it is agreed by investors that asset joint distribution returns from t-1 to t. This distribution is taken to be the true distribution, i.e. it provides the distribution giving returns that we employ in testing the model. Secondly, there is risk-free rate