Chemistry 114
Writing assignment -- worth 50 points
Due on or before May 2, 2007

Topic: example of either an organic molecule or a biochemical molecule and its importance to an aspect of your major.
Mechanics: 5 pages, with one inch margins, 12 point font, and double spaced. If you single space, then 2 ½ pages but still 12 point font and one inch margins.
Possible items to include:
* what molecule you picked
* what its structure is
* how it is important in your major field
* if in a chemical reaction, what is the reaction (how produced, how destroyed, how used)
* how it is used
* etc., use your imagination. Other topics in the paper are OK as long as it is relevant to the class and your major. I don't want you to get into the quagmire of the politics of whether Iran should have U-235 and such nonsense.
* cite your sources throughout the paper -- "internet" is not a sufficient citation, I want to know the full URL. It has also become customary to include in references the date on which the web page was accessed.
Scoring: there cannot be errors in the chemistry discussed, but the bulk of the points will be from writing. Correct punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, etc. Remember the writing center referred to in your syllabus. Worth 50 points in the quiz/problem set points

Other tips:
You will find it less frustrating to do things like add lone pairs of electrons by hand than try and type them.

An example segment of a paper is:
    Magnesium is present in sea water and in the earth's crust (1).  Although usually found as a compound, the melting point of pure magnesium is 651 °C (2).

The sources can then most easily be listed at the end of the paper:
References
1.  Conceptual Chemistry , 3rd edition, pages xx-yy.
2.  Merck Index, 11th edition, page 5540.

Sources that have been of use to students in the past, in addition to the two listed above, are:
3.  CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics
4.  Grollier multimedia encyclopedia and similar products. I strongly discourage the use of wikipedia. Anyone can post anything they want on there, and I have heard instances of blatant untruthful things being posted.
5.  http://www.webelements.com/ , accessed 11 November 2005.