Alexander, Amanda
Buencamino, Raphael
Hochman, Mike
Roop, Philip
Trickey, Erica
Watson, Ed
Our group's humble beginnings took place back in the summer of 1993 at the Missouri Scholar's Academy. It was here that Erica Trickey and Ed Watson first met and became good friends. Erica and Philip Roop are both veterans of last semester's Humanities 103 course, a class that does not come close to rivaling Chemistry 210 in difficulty. Philip and Raphael Buencamino met in Gillett Hall, while facing the life-threatening combination of dorm-life and prison-style food. Amanda Alexander and Ed became allies while enjoying Spartan-like existence at McDavid Hall last year, and finally, Amanda and Mike Hochman are both champions for animals' rights at the Central Missouri Humane Society.
Starting Febuary 12th, we began to have one to two weekly meetings for bout an hour each. The sites for our weekly meetings ranged from Amanda's house to Mike's house to that last stronghold of what is pure and right in the world,...........the local Dennys. Besides working beyond the limits of human endurance, we forged a very close relationship with our waitress, Claire, who is now going to be the god-mother of our future children.
Our first stop on the Ecstasy Express is informational,providing a very basic definition of the drug. The following site provides visual structures of the molecule, because we didn't want to show up on show-and-tell day without something COOL. The next step requires a little work, so we apologize in advance if any of you actually break a sweat. Go to The Chemfinder, enter the name: MDMA, and click on "submit." This will provide you with some chemical information about the molecule. Ready, set, CLICK!!!! As we journey forward, we come to a stop that is REAL TRIPPY. Its a psychedelic little pamphlet with several pages, so remember to click on the blue circle with the double arrows to turn the pages on the web site. Now, lean back, enjoy, and make sure to bring a glass of water. For a small taste of the experience, check out some Ecstasy Artwork, and be glad that you're not on the drug. Next, we make a little stop at the pharmacy and pick up a prescription especially for Professor Glaser. For you diehard organic chemistry fans, we have the complete Ecstasy recipe for your cooking enjoyment. Finally, if any of you want to delve even deeper into the world of Ecstasy, we have a junction that can lead you down other tracks.
It seems that even the awesome might of the Catalytic Cretins is subject to the trials and tribulations found in every Organic Chemistry group project. The most daunting of these heinous dilemas was finding meeting times that corresponded to everyone's schedules. After some planning and exponentially massive amounts of E-mail, we decided on Sundays or Wednesdays. Sites with suitable computer hardware was the next problem. This was solved by Mike's PC, a piece of equipment that was as vital to us as the Mystery Machine was to Scooby Doo. Although Mike's wife probably has voo-doo dolls of each of the group members now, group use of his computer was pivotal in accomplishing our research on the drug Ecstasy. We were granted an edge in our quest by the superior prowess of Mike and Raphael, our internet gurus. They had an uncanny knack for unearthing information that slipped past the rest of our blind eyes. Besides providing comic relief, the rest of the group not only discovered new internet sites, but also searched Mike and Rapheal's findings with a fine-tooth comb. The whole group project experience was both memorable and beneficial. All of us now have comrades with whom to face the daily grind and lament about our exam scores. If one member should miss a class because of sickness, unexpected events, or the daily struggle against the forces of evil, the others are glad to lend their notes. Preparation for future exams will no doubt be less of a hardship because we already have a study group formed. In conclusion, the group project was an experience that we would enjoy doing again.
