On being a Kunkel acolyte
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Simple Methods for the Preparation of Non-noble Metal Bulk-electrodes for Electrocatalytic Applications
Published on: June 21, 2017
1of Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10021, USA. jlaurenc@med.cornell.edu
Abstract:
Everything is interesting if you look at it deeply enough. There is no trivial question. This sentiment, attributed to Nobel laureate and physicist Richard Feynman, was Professor Henry Kunkel's message to all who began work in his laboratory. Learn as much as you can from a single informative patient. Keep looking. Play. But play, of course, in the Kunkel sense of exploration. The life of a Kunkel acolyte might be characterized as rejection, endurance and very late dinners. But then, on a few occasions, there was the thrill of a discovery he'd always help guide.
Related Concept Videos
Alkali Metals
Table 1: Properties of the alkali metals
Alkynes to Aldehydes and Ketones: Acid-Catalyzed Hydration
Analogous to alkenes, alkynes also undergo acid-catalyzed hydration. While the addition of water to an alkene gives an alcohol, hydration of alkynes produces different products such as aldehydes and ketones.
α-Alkylation of Ketones via Enolate Ions
Aldol Condensation with β-Diesters: Knoevenagel Condensation
Factors Affecting α-Alkylation of Ketones: Choice of Base
The reaction involving bases like EtO− whose conjugate acid EtOH (pKa = 15.9) is stronger than the ketone (pKa = 19.2) results in an equilibrium mixture with higher ketone concentration. As a consequence, side reactions...
Titration in Nonaqueous Solvents

