More info on the Molecule of the Week assignment
Submitted by skassel on September 22, 2008 – 5:27 pmNo Comment
After working through the assignment with a few test subjects (I mean beta testers! – thanks Nicole, Meghan, and Jon!), I’ve put together a more complete description.
- Find an interesting molecule – it must contain a metal, it must be molecular (no inorganic polymers, metal-organic frameworks, or metal containing enzymes), and it must have a crystallographically determined structure. I suggest browsing the current contents of Inorganic Chemistry, the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Angewandte Chemie, Dalton Transactions, and Organometallics for ideas.
- Obtain the cif file (crystallographic information file) associated with the molecule you chose. It is often available as supplementary material associated with a specific journal article, otherwise it can be obtained from the CSD. Email the cif to me.
- Use Mercury (installed as part of the CSD) to open the cif file, manipulate the structure to get a representative view, export a picture as a png or jpg, and email the picture to Nicole or myself. This is the picture that will be displayed in your post and link to the 3D model of the molecule.
- Write a brief description of your molecule using Science & Technology Concentrates from C&EN as a model. Focus on using simple and clear language when writing. Your summary will be between 175 and 225 words in length and should include the full article reference following ACS Guidelines. It’s easy to prepare your draft directly online; after logging into the website, chose ‘Write’ and a composition box with writing tools similar to a word processor will appear. A few things to consider while preparing your post: Why is this molecule significant? What does (should) it do? What was the motivation for the associated research? What are the major questions posed by the research? Are they answered? What conclusions are presented? Why did you choose this molecule? Please only use these prompts to help you craft and focus your writing while putting the molecule, the research, and your interest in context.
- Please let one or both of us know that your draft is ready for review. After editing (or revising with you) as necessary, one of us will publish your post.
- Sit back and enjoy all of the accolades and wonderful comments from your classmates for a job well done!
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