Chemistry Subject Guide

After the events of "Hunting the Elements", venture on a worldwide quest to find the key molecules and chemical reactions that have paved the way for human civilization, life, the universe, and everything.

Organic chemistry is pretty much everywhere! In this episode of Crash Course Organic Chemistry, we're talking about the amazing diversity among organic molecules. We'll learn about the origins of organic chemistry, how to write Lewis structures, condensed structures, and skeletal formulas, and what gross organic compound the Romans used to dye their fabrics pretty colors.

By the close of the Industrial Revolution, the American food supply was tainted - by frauds, fakes, and legions of new, untested chemicals - all threatening the health of consumers across the country. Based on the critically acclaimed book by Deborah Blum, it tells the story of crusading government chemist Harvey Washington Wiley, the man who led the pure food movement against the food manufacturing industry in the early years of the twentieth century, embarking upon a series of bold and controversial trials on twelve subjects - who would become known as the "Poison Squad." Wiley's experiments and tireless advocacy laid the groundwork for the United States' consumer protection laws, and ultimately the creation of the FDA.

Writing chemical reactions in general and inorganic chemistry is not a trivial task. However, writing reactions for chemical processes correctly is a clear indicator of proficiency and competence in a subject. Unfortunately, very few students grasp the concept of the correct writing of chemical reactions quickly, and so are unable to move through topics of general, analytical, and inorganic chemistry freely. Because the ability to write and balance different types of chemical reactions is a fundamental issue, this becomes a key question of chemical literacy.