[fawkes]

I just want clarification on what it means when my professor writes a reaction on the board.  He will put the arrow symbolizing the reaction and he will write some symbols above, some below the arrow.  And sometimes he writes > 2 substances each separated by a "/".

Is the substance above the reagent and the one below the solvent?  And when there are two, that means there are two reagents?  Two solvents?  I think this is what it is, but I'm just not clear.

Thanks,

Fawkes

[macman104]

*Typically* reagents are above the line and solvents below, but that isn't always the case, and each person may write it differently.  Honestly, the only way to know for sure is going to be to ask your professor how he writes it.

[fawkes]

I just came across something else in my notes.

before the substance above the arrow, he wrote: 1)
before the substance below, he wrote: 2)

I guess, he meant one comes first, then the other. 

I'll ask him for clarification on monday.  He just is a bit caustic.  He wrote NBS in an equation last week and someone asked him what that meant.  He replied in a not nice voice "n-bromosuccinimide" or whatever it was.  The poor girl felt like an idiot, but how are we supposed to know what that is.

[macman104]

I just came across something else in my notes.

before the substance above the arrow, he wrote: 1)
before the substance below, he wrote: 2)

I guess, he meant one comes first, then the other.

Yes, if multiple steps in a reaction want to be represented with within one arrow, then the steps are represented by the 1,2, etc...

I'll ask him for clarification on monday.  He just is a bit caustic.  He wrote NBS in an equation last week and someone asked him what that meant.  He replied in a not nice voice "n-bromosuccinimide" or whatever it was.  The poor girl felt like an idiot, but how are we supposed to know what that is.

Yes, NBS is n-bromosuccinimde.  Don't let his causticness scare you.  How long have you been in the class?  NBS is a fairly common abbreviation and compound encountered in beginning organic chemistry, so if it was something he expected her to know...

But in reality, for some reason a majority of my organic chemistry professors have had a little chip on their shoulder.  I think most of them forget that new students may not know all of the abbreviations that are almost second nature to them.  I mean, for me now, if I hear the abbreviation NBS no matter what the context I think of n-bromosuccinimide.