[ WP ] Free write . Write the first short story that pops into your head .

`` Ok, so the next thing we're going to move on to which is sort of related to reactivity vs. selectivity is the Curtin-Hammett principle. It's kinda something that even the best chemists forget about or do n't fully understand, frankly it just seems to be something people forget as they delve into the specifics of their field and then all of a sudden one day a reaction does n't work ten times over in the lab and they tear their hair trying to push it. You may have gathered that I'm speaking experience here, ha?'' 
 
 A few murmurs, tired grins. He climbed the first four steps along the side row of the lecture hall. 
 
 `` Well anyway it is as easy as anything. So if you look up at the reaction diagram above, you'll see 2 reactants slap bang in the middle and they're separated by quite a small energy difference, that little bump between them. One is higher in energy than the other but because the energy is between them is so small they are said to be in some kind of equilibrium, that is they are constantly interconverting from one to the other, that's what you'd expect right? Yeah, exactly Dr. Eton. Ok, so on either side of A and B you have 2 much larger peaks representing the energy it would take to convert each into new different structures C and D, one is slightly larger than the other. So, what happens? What happens when you apply energy to the reaction?'' 
 
 A few heads bobbed up at that. A van passed outside the theatre, the doors of fire exit gave an unsteady quake. Standing, gazing up the empty rows, at the 11 or so sophisters awake enough to have come, he decided to cough. Not out of need but more so for effect, there was a certain guilty thrill of putting people on the spot, teasing a bit of awkward apprehension into the young mind. 
 
 `` Would anyone hazard a guess? No? Am I being paid to answer my own questions? Ok, the hint is in the fact that A and B are in equilibrium. That means what? Come on?'' 
 
 The closest bench creaked ever so slightly. 
 `` It means that if one reaction is favoured then the opposite one is less likely to occur.'' Came a meager voice in the second row, the girl had been hidden behind her mac for most of the hour. 
 
 `` Brilliant! So what then? You're almost there. Anyone else? She basically said if say I heat this up and the first thing that pops out is C, then we're not going to see D, even if it's just a little bit more energy to get it, going back to equilibrium?'' 
 
 `` If one reaction is favoured it means that the starting material for the opposite will convert to the other and supply that because it's easier.'' 
 
 `` There. That's it. So no matter what as long as you have an equilibrium between A and B, whichever conversion to C or D has a lower reaction energy will be favoured and the equilibrium will go towards that direction.'' 
 
 Glancing between the time at the right corner of the desktop and the hunched figures above him, he turned on his heel at darted the red dot of his pointer under the powerpoint title. 
 
 `` Hammett was an interesting character. He was a bit of thrill seeker when it came to physical organic chemistry, if such a being could exist. He spent many many years working on ways to test the strength of superacids. Anyone ever heard of a superacid before? No? The clue is in the name. A superacid is an acid that has a greater acidity than 100 % pure sulfuric acid. So angry, angry electrophiles! The most famous one is called Magic Acid. That's the actual name by the way and the story goes that back when they discovered it in the 60's in Iowa or someplace like that, it was around this time of the year. So of course the Christmas party rolls around and someone has the genius idea to potter about in the lab and bring out the `` magic acid'' they'd been working on. And them being scientists, and it being the 60's, everyone grabs a coat and gloves and goggles, they park this little vat of it on a bench and from the other end of the lab they start chucking bits and pieces at to see what'll happen. Jesus, could you imagine that today? And so, everything is flying in and getting eaten up by the acid so the head of the lab walks over to little vat with a big wax birthday candle in his hand and dips it slowly in and it completely dissolves in front of his eyes. They actually went to publish a paper on that candle and they called it magic acid as a joke. ” 
 
 Their eyes were on him. 
 
 “ Alright that ’ s it. Tomorrow at 4, we ’ ll get into a bit of harsher reaction kinetics. ” 
 
 And that ’ ll be enough to keep them coming. 
 
 
 

