NCC’s Organic Chemistry II Students Conduct Lucas Testing Lab Experiment

Students in Rebecca Williams’ CHM 252 Organic Chemistry II class engaged recently in Lucas testing. The lab analysis process is used by chemists to differentiate between primary, secondary, and tertiary alcohols. The students learned that tertiary alcohols react immediately, while the secondary alcohols respond more slowly (in 1-5 minutes), and primary alcohols show no response at all.

In Organic Chemistry II students systematically study the theories, principles, and techniques of organic chemistry. Topics include nomenclature, structure, properties, reactions, and mechanisms of aromatics, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids and derivatives, amines and heterocyclics; multi-step synthesis is emphasized. Organic Chemistry is an advanced level science course, and many of the students in the class plan to pursue careers in pharmacy, medicine, veterinary medicine, or chemical engineering.

About the instructor: Rebecca Williams holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University, a Master of Arts degree in Secondary Science from East Carolina University and a Master of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Now in her fourth year as faculty at NCC, Williams previously taught high school science after working in engineering at Weyerhaeuser and International Paper. For more information, please call 252-428-7335.