Chemistry Hall

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Contribute: Publishing Guidelines

Chemistry Hall – From Cutting-Edge Research Highlights to Educational Resources

Chemistry Hall From Cutting-Edge Research Highlights to Home Chemistry Experiments
You are here: Home / Archives for Chemistry Lab

Chemistry Lab

Everything in regards to chemistry labs. Lab tricks or lab hacks to work in a chemistry lab, or for performing chemistry experiments at home. Get better at chemistry experimentation!

The Swern Oxidation: Mechanism and Features

March 31, 2021 By C. Hall 6 Comments

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
The Swern Oxidation

Discovery and Applications

The Swern oxidation was first discovered by Daniel Swern and Kanji Omura in 1978. From this point, this methodology evolved into one of the most used strategies to oxidize both secondary and primary alcohols to ketones or aldehydes, respectively.

In this reaction, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) acts as the effective oxidizing agent, getting reduced to dimethylsulfide (DMS) as a consequence. However, DMSO by itself is not reactive enough to take part in this redox process, it needs to be activated by oxalyl chloride, (CO)₂Cl₂. This results in the formation of an adduct that can evolve into the corresponding ketone or aldehyde by action of a base (generally triethylamine), upon release of CO, CO₂, and dimethylsulfide (SMe₂), through a beautiful mechanism that is a must know for any student of organic chemistry.

This reaction has distinctive features that make it extremely popular among synthetic chemists.

Advantages and Drawbacks

One of the best features of this oxidation method is that it does not further oxidizes aldehydes to carboxylic acids, so a single 2-electron oxidation of primary alcohols can be achieved. This is often not the case with, for instance, metal-based oxidations, such as the use of potassium permanganate. Other alternatives that stop at the aldehydes, such as DMP, are usually much more expensive than the simple reagents required for the Swern.

… [Read More]

Filed Under: Chemistry Lab, Education and Concepts Tagged With: organic chemistry

Types of Chemistry Flasks: A Complete Guide

March 5, 2020 By C. Hall 3 Comments

type chemistry flasks

An important concern within any chemistry laboratory is the handling and storage of chemical substances regardless of the physical state in which they are. We are going to help you identify the most common (or not so common) types of chemistry flasks out there! Through chemistry history, different materials have been employed to build these… [Read More]

Filed Under: Chemistry Lab Tagged With: general chemistry

How to Write the Perfect Chemistry Lab Report: A Definitive Guide

February 11, 2020 By Guest Posts Leave a Comment

chemistry lab reports

Students have to deal with multiple academic tasks, and writing lab reports (lots of them!) is one of them. Its main purpose is to explain what you did in your experiment, what you learned and what the results meant. Performing experiments and reporting them properly is a cornerstone of on your way into learning chemistry…. [Read More]

Filed Under: Chemistry Lab Tagged With: general chemistry

Thin Layer Chromatography: A Complete Guide to TLC

January 2, 2020 By C. Hall 31 Comments

tlc guide

If there is one technique or experiment that every chemist, or student learning chemistry should know, it is Thin Layer Chromatography (or TLC for short). If you want to become a synthetic chemist, or you are planning to ace an experimental course on organic chemistry, TLC is something you really need to master. So, what… [Read More]

Filed Under: Chemistry Lab, Featured Tagged With: organic chemistry

Keys for the Best Chemistry Lab Notebook

June 21, 2019 By C. Hall 1 Comment

Chemistry Lab Notebook

The importance of keeping a chemistry lab notebook in good shape throughout any kind of laboratory session is HUGE. Writing down and reporting what you do is the most important thing in science besides making observations. Especially if you are a student, you probably want to get better at organising a laboratory notebook. This is… [Read More]

Filed Under: Chemistry Experiments, Chemistry Lab Tagged With: general chemistry

Lab Hacks – How to Increase your Productivity in the Lab

November 19, 2016 By C. Hall 4 Comments

TLC Lab Hacks

I have been working in a chemistry laboratory for some years and still every once in a while I learn new amazing tricks or lab hacks that leave me open-mouthed. Also, it has been a while since I last talked about chemistry lab tricks. For these reason, I decided to share with all of you… [Read More]

Filed Under: Chemistry Lab, Featured Tagged With: inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry

10 Great Lab Tricks To Improve Your Performance

December 22, 2014 By C. Hall 6 Comments

Rainbow Column

I am aware that many of you spend most or a good part of your life working in a laboratory or something related to that, time to share some nice lab tricks. Some people are better than other doing lab research or chemistry experiments, but the basis of why is that true are mainly two:… [Read More]

Filed Under: Chemistry Lab Tagged With: organic chemistry

RSS Feed Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Twitter Follow us on Twitter

why do chemicals react

Why Do Chemicals React? Kinetics and Thermodynamics

April 10, 2021 By C. Hall 4 Comments

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 … [Read More...]

How to Learn Chemistry

How To Learn Chemistry at Any Level

January 31, 2020 By C. Hall 2 Comments

Have you ever wanted to learn chemistry, but just didn’t know how to go about doing it? Taking college courses and you don't know how to find resources? There is so much to … [Read More...]

tlc guide

Thin Layer Chromatography: A Complete Guide to TLC

January 2, 2020 By C. Hall 31 Comments

If there is one technique or experiment that every chemist, or student learning chemistry should know, it is Thin Layer Chromatography (or TLC for short). If you want to … [Read More...]

best chemistry set for kids

The Best Chemistry Set for Kids (and Adults!)

January 1, 2020 By Emily McPeek 1 Comment

There’s no better way to learn about chemistry than with fun, hands-on experiments and science projects. Teachers and parents, read on to learn the best chemistry set for kids … [Read More...]

best chemistry textbook

The Best General Chemistry Textbook

August 23, 2019 By C. Hall 1 Comment

The new academic year has already begun in many parts of the world, but it’s never too early to start planning for next year. Time to get your hands into the best general … [Read More...]

best inorganic chemistry textbook

The Best Inorganic Chemistry Textbooks

August 5, 2019 By C. Hall 14 Comments

Inorganic chemistry is one of the cornerstones of the central science. For many is the most fun, but it covers an extremely wide range of topics. For this reason, you need to … [Read More...]

top 100 chemistry facts

100 Fun Chemistry Facts (With Awesome Explanations!)

July 18, 2019 By C. Hall 9 Comments

You probably agree with me on the first fact: chemistry is fascinating. There are plenty of unanswered mysteries within this science, but there are also many interesting and … [Read More...]

Cracking the AP Chemistry Exam

The Best AP Chemistry Review Book

July 5, 2019 By C. Hall 2 Comments

Summer vacation is a time to relax and unwind, but students enrolled in advanced placement (or AP for short) classes for the coming school year are already planning for the … [Read More...]

Clayden Organic Chemistry Textbook

The Best Organic Chemistry Textbook [A Definitive Guide]

June 27, 2019 By C. Hall 28 Comments

Let's face it, organic chemistry can seem difficult to learn. Especially from a beginner's point of view. For exactly that reason we have put together the definitive guide for … [Read More...]

Home Chemistry Lab Experiments

Chemistry Experiments at Home: Setting Up a Home Lab

June 22, 2019 By C. Hall Leave a Comment

Not everybody has access to a professional chemistry lab, so setting up a home chemistry lab is your best bet if you want to do chemistry experiments at home. Chemistry is … [Read More...]

Can we see atoms and molecules?

Can We See Real Atoms and Molecules? Electron Microscopy at a Glance

June 17, 2019 By C. Hall 2 Comments

A universal challenge that has been keeping chemists busy ever since the modern concepts of “atom” and “molecules” were conceived, is how to actually characterize molecular … [Read More...]

TLC Lab Hacks

Lab Hacks – How to Increase your Productivity in the Lab

November 19, 2016 By C. Hall 4 Comments

I have been working in a chemistry laboratory for some years and still every once in a while I learn new amazing tricks or lab hacks that leave me open-mouthed. Also, it has … [Read More...]

LSD

LSD Synthesis and Discovery: What You May Not Know About It

December 14, 2014 By C. Hall 28 Comments

Disclaimer: This article is purely informative, and it does not contain information about how to actually carry out experimental procedures for the synthesis of LSD or any … [Read More...]

More Posts from this Category

Categories

  • Chemistry Experiments
  • Chemistry Lab
  • Chemistry Research Highlights
  • Education and Concepts
  • Everyday Life Chemistry
  • Featured
  • General Science
  • Tools for Chemists
  • Uncategorized

Chemistry Hall

Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Disclaimer

Contact

Contact Us - Contribute - Twitter

AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER

Chemistry Hall is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon websites, including, but not limited to amazon.com

Copyright © 2024 Chemistry Hall · All Rights Reserved · Log in
Copyright by Chemistry Hall or by third-party sources, where indicated. All rights controlled by their respective owners.
Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Chemistry Hall, all of its staff, contributors or partners.
Content on this website is for informational purposes only.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT