Eleven tips Solvent and Work Up Tips from Dr John Knight and Dr Will Watson of Scientific Update.

1. Add 10% heptane to cyclohexane to avoid freezing at 4°C
2. Addition of 10% alcohol to hexane, reduces electrostatic hazards See for example T.J. Connolly et al (Raylo), Org. Proc. Res. Dev.,2000,4, 526

N-Methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMO) is commercially available in bulk as a 50% aqueous solution.  Anhydrous material is available but only in small quantities.

A comprehensive review of industrial applications of the Diels-Alder reaction has recently appeared in Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2013,52, 3822-3863), compiled by researchers at Actelion, Switzerland.

The importance of fluorine-containing compounds in industrial applications is on the increase, with pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and new materials being the major users.  Thus there have been corresponding advances in ways to introduce fluorine into unusual positions, sometimes using free radical chemistry.

The scope of the book is to explain the concept of sustainability, to highlight the role of science and technology in moving towards sustainable development, and to use examples of new approaches to chemistry to meet these needs. Metrics is given a central role in the discussions.

Good news! The 7th edition of “March’s” is now available.

The bad news! It’s even heavier than the 6th edition. Of course this means that the new edition has been rewritten and updated to include advances in organic chemistry in the period 2005-2010, with more than 5500 new references added.