ReactionFlash

Just discovered ReactionFlash. It's a nice app with a database of named reactions in organic chemistry. I found it on the Apple App store. Best of all it's free!

I love the quiz feature for brushing up on my skills. And within each named reaction you can view the mechanism, examples and if you're lucky enough or rich enough--I'm neither--to have a Reaxys subscription you can look it up in their platform as well. Reactions can filtered by level (e.g. basic, advanced) and category (e.g., elimination). And most useful for undergrads, reactions can be tagged as a favorite so they can study and quiz themselves on only the reactions they learn in class. The only improvement I can imagine, is the ability for users to create their own categories.

Dropbox as a File Server for CHEM 333, But Better

As a Mac aficionado and app addict, I have a keen sense as to whether a particular piece of software will increase my productivity and entertainment levels or whether it will just decrease my checking account balance. Not that it matters since I usually buy it anyway. What can I say? I'm a scientist.  Most of those "scientific" purchases, however, are disappointing; the software falls short of my expectations and many don't even deliver the utility they promise. When I do encounter a gem, there is usually an "ah, hah!" moment that justifies all the experimentation until that point. Enter Dropbox.


Given Dropbox's current popularity, I'm a little late in finding this one, but ecstatic nonetheless, especially since it's free.  Dropbox is essentially a web-based file hosting service, which provides you with 2 GB of online storage space. In its most modest application, users can upload and download files to their Dropbox folder through the Dropbox website using any web browser; there's no requirement to download any software.  The real power of the service, however, is unleashed when the Dropbox software is downloaded onto each of the user's computers. The software creates a folder called Dropbox on each computer where it is installed. All files placed or saved into that folder are then synchronized across all machines that also have the Dropbox folder installed. That's it! There are no special synchronization steps or instructions to remember.  Just use your Dropbox folder like you would any other and changes are instantaneously (well, almost) synchronized to all Dropbox folders on other machines.  Don't always have access to a computer? No problem; just download the iPhone or iPad app and you've got access to your files anywhere you go.  Dropbox even keeps track of past versions of each file, so that users can revert to older versions if they need.  Worried about losing your files in "the cloud" or when your internet connection is down? No need: All Dropbox files are saved locally on each machine.


As if that weren't enough, you can also share subfolders with other Dropbox members. I am currently using this function in my Advanaced Synthetic Laboratory class (CHEM 333). I set up a shared folder for each of my students where they can save their IR and NMR data files (we have a lot of them!). I can open their files directly from my computer's Dropbox folder, make changes or comments if I want, and then save the file. The changes are immediately available to everyone sharing that folder. You can even set preferences so that you're alerted when a change has been made to a file or folder you're sharing. It's been a great way to keep track of my student's progress in the lab.  It's also a much cheaper (read: free) alternative to setting up a file server, not to mention better.  So far it's worked like a charm and students have been quick to adopt the process.


There are lots of useful applications of Dropbox such as sharing pics with friends, URL links to files, and uploading PDF files to iBooks or PubMed on Tap on your iPad or iPhone.  My favorite so far though is the ability to sync my Bookends reference database and all attached PDFs, which allows me to access and update my reference literature everywhere I go. I just moved the Bookends database and associated Attachments folder to Dropbox and voila. Done!


If I've sold you, then give it a try. Click on the link below and start "Dropboxing" now. If you're on campus and need some assistance or want more information on the applications I mentioned above, send me an email or stop by my office; I'd be happy to help.


Start Dropboxing Now!

ACD/Labs NMR Processor & ChemSketch

The academic version of the ACD/Labs NMR Processor is now available for free to students and instructors. It may be downloaded from the ACD/Labs website after creating a user account. This is great news for instructors and students alike. Instead of spending hours acquiring and processing student NMR data, I am now requiring my Advanced Organic Lab students to process their own FIDs. I anticipate that this software will reinforce concepts taught in class as students perform tasks such as Fourier transformation, phasing, peak picking, integration and proton assignment. The download also includes ChemSketch, an industry standard for drawing chemical structures. ChemSketch can be used simultaneously with the NMR Processor to make proton assignments as well as create professional quality spectral reports.


I have posted a short presentation on using the NMR Processor for my CHEM 333 students on the course website's File Sharing page. The instructions within are basic and only scratch the surface of the software's functionalities. What makes it a great application, however, is that you don't need to know much to create a professional looking spectrum in a matter of minutes.  CHEM 333 students should use the ChemSketch template (ACD_333nmrtemplate.sk2) that I've also posted on the File Sharing page when creating their reports. For a sample FID folder to practice with, download the file, ACD_samplefid.fid.zip, on the File Sharing page.


Although ACD/Labs software does not support Mac OS X, I have been using the processor and ChemSketch on my Intel iMac running Windows XP with the Parallels virtualization application. Parallels can be purchased from the UIC Webstore at a reduced price by UIC students and faculty. The only downside to this solution is that I have been unable to cut-and-paste into native OS X Microsoft Office apps like Work and Powerpoint.

Consolidate All Your Webservers with Cyberduck

Disclaimer:  Mac Geeks Only!

I work with several remote servers during the semester.  These include tigger and iccarus accounts (UIC) that host my websites, a Blackboard webdisk, two servers for NMR data at UIC, my MobileMe iDisk and even a server for my copier scans in the Chemistry Department.  Managing each separately is an annoying and time consuming task.  Not only do I have to remember the addresses and login information for each, but until today I used different access methods (e.g., Fetch, MacFusion and the Mac Finder).  Enter Cyberduck.  With this open source freeware app, I have been able to consolidate all of my server connections in one place.  It's main advantage over Fetch (a common FTP client) is that it supports all of the protocols I require, including: FTP, SFTP, WebDav and MobileMe.  If you work with several servers utilizing more than one file transfer protocol, I highly recommend this app.  It's intuitive, has a clean GI and works as advertised.  If you're looking for an app that will allow you to mount those servers as disk images on your desktop, checkout MacFusion which is built on Google's MacFUSE code.  This app, however, does not currently support OS 10.6 (Leopard).