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Chemistry Forums for Students => Organic Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: Corvettaholic on July 13, 2004, 06:29:42 PM

Title: beginner question on something simple
Post by: Corvettaholic on July 13, 2004, 06:29:42 PM
So I've never really worked much with o-chem before, but it seems really neat. As a general rule, are any organic compounds conductive at all? How do they respond to magnetic fields? And slightly unrelated, what exactly is the composition of 10W30 motor oil and how is regular different from synthetic?
Title: Re:beginner question on something simple
Post by: Winga on July 14, 2004, 12:26:49 AM
Fullerene (C60), a superconductor.
Title: Re:beginner question on something simple
Post by: Corvettaholic on July 14, 2004, 12:22:47 PM
But isn't fullerene tough to get a hold of or synthesize? I'm thinking common stuff, like propane, alcohols, and stuff like that.
Title: Re:beginner question on something simple
Post by: Scratch- on July 14, 2004, 02:37:55 PM
Aren’t fullerenes inorganic? Your skin and blood and other organs conduct somewhat (that’s why you can complete a circuit with your body, sometimes with ill effects). There are iron compounds in your brain and in other animals' brains that allow some of them to tell what direction their going (using the earths magnetic field).
Title: Re:beginner question on something simple
Post by: Corvettaholic on July 14, 2004, 04:29:20 PM
well doesn't your body conduct because of the large amount of water and all the salts? I'm thinking of stuff that ends in -ane -ene -ester and crap like that.
Title: Re:beginner question on something simple
Post by: jdurg on July 14, 2004, 05:34:24 PM
well doesn't your body conduct because of the large amount of water and all the salts? I'm thinking of stuff that ends in -ane -ene -ester and crap like that.

That is correct.  Your body doesn't conduct electricity because of all the organic molecules.  It conducts electricity because it has a VERY high water content and that water contains many, many, many different ions in it.
Title: Re:beginner question on something simple
Post by: Winga on July 15, 2004, 12:46:53 AM
well doesn't your body conduct because of the large amount of water and all the salts? I'm thinking of stuff that ends in -ane -ene -ester and crap like that.
An organic compound contains extended alternative single and double bond (conjugated system) which the pi electrons can transfer via overlapped p-orbitals, called resonance / mesomeric effect. But I am not quite sure that is there anyone use this as a conductor before.