You are asked to write a "communication" covering the synthesis portion of Experiment I, up to and including the assessment of your final product's purity via its infrared spectrum, refractive index, and gas chromatogram. (Bomb calorimetry work will be reported later.) Your communication is due at 1 pm on Thursday February 5 or Friday February 6, depending on your section. Please provide the original copy PLUS three more copies for reviewers (can be double sided).  Before leaving lab on this day please pickup your packet of papers to review (directions for reviews will be given in class).

A "communication" is a short report whose publication is expedited compared to other publication categories like articles and reviews.  The time delay between submission and publication is usually only a few months for a communication, while for other categories it is often well over a year. Results are written up as a communication only if the author believes that they really deserve prompt publication (and anticipates that the journal editors will agree).

More concretely, communications are typically only one or two journal pages long, and are limited to about 1000 words.  It usually consists of an abstract, the body, and references/notes.  Unlike longer publications (articles, reviews, etc.),  all of these are short compared to the corresponding components of an article. The text is normally not sectioned, but will often contain one or more figures (including diagrams, plots, pictures, etc.), tables (which may be non-numerical and may even include small plots or diagrams), and/or schemes (used for organic syntheses, for example). Often these are challenging to design or construct, but if they are thoughtfully and carefully executed, they usually make it easier for the reader. Please consider the possibilities for such non-textual elements in your submission, and use them where you think it would enhance the "communication" between you and your reader. You are encouraged to take advantage of relevant software, but don't have to -- if a structure or diagram seems called for, one drawn by hand is preferable to none at all!

You should certainly look at a few published communications before you begin writing. If you haven't already done so, you can help yourself to an issue of J. Org. Chem. or J. Am. Chem. Soc. For Experimental Chemistry I purposes, it's of course only the form of the presentation that's important, so you probably won't need to understand much of the chemistry. (The last sentence refers only to the communications you look at as examples, and not your own!)

In some respects you probably can't model your writing after that in the journals. For example, communications often begin with some mention of the motivation for the research and a brief summary of past work in the area. Also, since your synthesis and your characterizations are less extensive than those reported in a typical communication, you don't have to attempt the highly abbreviated style of typical organic synthesis communications.  Nevertheless, succinctness is strongly encouraged, so long as content and clarity aren't sacrificed. (Another possible deviation from standard form: If something sparked your interest and you'd like to go into it a little more than seems appropriate for a "proper" communication, please talk with one of us about the possibilities.)

After submitting your communication, each of you will be asked to review those submitted by three classmates. For each one you will fill out brief one-page review forms (with only about a paragraph of writing). At the same time, three other classmates (different from those whom you are reviewing) will be looking at your manuscript.  So everyone will get back three review forms. As usual for this kind of review process, reviewers will know the identities of those they review, but not vice versa. Of course you can also expect some further commentary from one or more Experimental Chem staff members. (Think of us as the journal editors, who get to pass final judgment on your manuscript.)

back to the CH 362 homepage