[iScience]

i felt bad because on breaking bad, there was a mexican chemist who said that "any sophomore chemistry student knows how to synthesize phenylacetic acid" i just finished my gen chem classes and will be going into O-chem this next semester, so technically i'd be considered a sophomore. How do i synthesize phenylacetic acid??

[discodermolide]

Buy it from Aldrich
http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/aldrich/p16621?lang=en&region=GB

[opsomath]

He was exaggerating. People who are experts on something often think basic knowledge is more basic than it is. And he was definitely referring to knowledge you'd get during your sophomore term, so your "technically" is really a technicality and not really relevant. Calm down buddy.

I've been doing chemistry for over a decade and I still have moments where I see an exercise from a freshman class and draw a blank on how to do it. Like anything worthwhile, mastery of chemistry is imperfect and there will always be gaps.

AFTERWORD: I just realized you're talking about Breaking Bad. Hah. Yes, making phenylacetic acid would be easy.

[Babcock_Hall]

Grignard chemistry.  Why don't you draw out a route, and let us look at it?

[Borek]

A lot depends on your starting materials

[camptzak]

Breaking Bad annoys me, now when you meet a new person and you're discussing your career, Breaking Bad always comes up. but ya you should slam us out a a reaction pathway.