my observations on everything right and wrong with the world - starting with myself.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
so in a vain attempt to see how popular the name "gerard garcia" is...I googled it.
lo and behold, on the 9th page of the search results...something that actually had me in it:
here's the link:
http://voh.chem.ucla.edu/vohtar/fall95/11A-lec2/qa.html
and this was the part that contained something I said:
Question:
Date Submitted: Tue Dec 5 11:59:33 PST 1995
Student Name: Gerard Garcia
Student Email: ggarcia@ucla.edu
Submitted from: cloudburst.seas.ucla.edu
Question: This question is irrelevant to the class but I was just wondering, I went to Basic Training for the Army this summer and I had to go through the gas chamber. It was part of our toxic agent endurance training. Anyways, in the gas chamber, we were hit with a riot-control agent known as CS gas. Our drill sergeants said that it didn't have any toxic effects but oh man, did it irritate! What I want to know is if you knew anything about this gas and its structure and why it does what it does. It is something that me and other people from my unit have been pondering on since Basic Training. Thanks.
Answer:
The compound is chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile. Start with a C=C double bond. At one end, bond two CN groups (triple bond between the C and the N) to the same carbon. At the other end, place one hydrogen on the carbon. You now have one bonding place left on the carbon, so we can abbreviate it as (R)(H)C=C(CN)2, where R is the rest of the molecule. The R is a benzene ring with one of the H's replaced by a chlorine, C6H4Cl. That chlorine is bonded to one of the C's next to the carbon that is bonded to the C=C double bond. So the compound is (C6H4Cl)(H)C=C(CN)2. Got it? The compound is a riot control agent, a severe eye, throat, and skin irritant. A similar compound that you've probably heard of is "Mace". CS is more irritating the Mace, but less incapacitating. Both CS and Mace are solids, so they are probably "administered" as sprayed solutions.
***
this was posted during my freshman year at UCLA...and already, signs of my clear lack of study skills were becoming evident. damn. that chemistry class sucked. 700 students...and they all wanted to kiss the professor's ass.
except me, of course. I was too busy trying to recover from all my rollerblading injuries.
what's hilarious though, is that the second 'real' result for "gerard garcia" that actually had something to do with me was this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0198606419/026-7880673-8163623
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
excellent reference, April 2, 1998
Reviewer: Gerard Garcia (ggarcia@ucla.edu) from Los Angeles, CA
For a person with an avid interest in studying classical civilizations, this book provides an immensely helpful reference in all aspects of the history of the ancient world, legends, myths, and culture. The Oxford Classical Dictionary is vital for anyone who wishes to understand and appreciate the basis of modern western civilization. The book reads more like an encyclopedia rather than a dictionary. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
***
to think that in three years...I would go from being a lazy student to actually reading related materials outside of class is astounding! all it took was discovering a college major that I had a profound interest in...
:)
lo and behold, on the 9th page of the search results...something that actually had me in it:
here's the link:
http://voh.chem.ucla.edu/vohtar/fall95/11A-lec2/qa.html
and this was the part that contained something I said:
Question:
Date Submitted: Tue Dec 5 11:59:33 PST 1995
Student Name: Gerard Garcia
Student Email: ggarcia@ucla.edu
Submitted from: cloudburst.seas.ucla.edu
Question: This question is irrelevant to the class but I was just wondering, I went to Basic Training for the Army this summer and I had to go through the gas chamber. It was part of our toxic agent endurance training. Anyways, in the gas chamber, we were hit with a riot-control agent known as CS gas. Our drill sergeants said that it didn't have any toxic effects but oh man, did it irritate! What I want to know is if you knew anything about this gas and its structure and why it does what it does. It is something that me and other people from my unit have been pondering on since Basic Training. Thanks.
Answer:
The compound is chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile. Start with a C=C double bond. At one end, bond two CN groups (triple bond between the C and the N) to the same carbon. At the other end, place one hydrogen on the carbon. You now have one bonding place left on the carbon, so we can abbreviate it as (R)(H)C=C(CN)2, where R is the rest of the molecule. The R is a benzene ring with one of the H's replaced by a chlorine, C6H4Cl. That chlorine is bonded to one of the C's next to the carbon that is bonded to the C=C double bond. So the compound is (C6H4Cl)(H)C=C(CN)2. Got it? The compound is a riot control agent, a severe eye, throat, and skin irritant. A similar compound that you've probably heard of is "Mace". CS is more irritating the Mace, but less incapacitating. Both CS and Mace are solids, so they are probably "administered" as sprayed solutions.
***
this was posted during my freshman year at UCLA...and already, signs of my clear lack of study skills were becoming evident. damn. that chemistry class sucked. 700 students...and they all wanted to kiss the professor's ass.
except me, of course. I was too busy trying to recover from all my rollerblading injuries.
what's hilarious though, is that the second 'real' result for "gerard garcia" that actually had something to do with me was this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0198606419/026-7880673-8163623
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
excellent reference, April 2, 1998
Reviewer: Gerard Garcia (ggarcia@ucla.edu) from Los Angeles, CA
For a person with an avid interest in studying classical civilizations, this book provides an immensely helpful reference in all aspects of the history of the ancient world, legends, myths, and culture. The Oxford Classical Dictionary is vital for anyone who wishes to understand and appreciate the basis of modern western civilization. The book reads more like an encyclopedia rather than a dictionary. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
***
to think that in three years...I would go from being a lazy student to actually reading related materials outside of class is astounding! all it took was discovering a college major that I had a profound interest in...
:)
