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You can use metal atoms to alter the reactivity of organic groups. I'm using platinum complexes to activate nitriles, so that they're more susceptible to cycloadditions, but the platinum is essentially a catalyst, and the organic components need to exist in the first place. In your example, you...

I completely agree, my PhD is based around organometallic synthesis (platinum and heterocycles). My objection was that it sounded as if you were saying that life came from inorganic compounds, rather than from compounds "that-were-never-involved-in-life". If you understand the distinction, then...

CO2 is kind of inorganic, as a weird exception, but that's a combustion reaction, which would be taught in the organic section of an A level chemistry lesson (in the UK). I'm not suggesting elemental carbon is organic, but that would have been the starting point of organic compounds. You have an...

Give me an example of an organic compound forming from an inorganic compound. Organic compounds have existed since very nearly the beginning of time, since carbon was formed in stars. But personally I wouldn't refer to nuclear fusion as chemistry. In chemistry the term 'organic' doesn't refer...

Just a quick note. Inorganic chemistry can never give rise to organic chemistry. Organic chemistry refers to compounds almost entirely made out of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen (although some definitions might include nitrogen and sulphur), not the chemistry of things that are/were alive...

Hey guys, I'm trying to get hold of a paper for my thesis, but my university isn't subscribed to the journal. Is there anyone out there who could possibly get hold of it for me, and mail me a copy, please? It's; Investigation of substituent effects on the 1H and 13C NMR spectra of...

You know, I just had a thought. Maybe Ben doesn't realise that the text in orange is a clickable link to a source? Suddenly things might start to make sense when Ben keeps denying the evidence has been presented. Is this true Ben, or am I being overly optimistic?

His basic issue is that he's insisting you have to have a complete modern cell in order for it to be considered a cell. You don't need molecular machinery to copy RNA. RNA can be self-replicating. It's not going to be as fast as with the enzymes, but it will still happen. More efficient...

Has to be a scam. Anything that claims "We are experts in cutting edge free energy technology, of which we have perfected and have gone to great lengths to secure." and "Natural and homeopathic healing will play a major role, and we are already very advanced with this including treatments...

I've skimmed through the paper, and it looks like he hasn't really understood it either. The cyclical dehydration/rehydration is just wrong. I guess he saw the -H2O / +H2O and assumed that was what was happening, but it just shows water leaving or entering the molecule and doesn't require any...

The two I hate most are the:- 1. Evolution can't account for morality/logic/conciousnness/meaning. 2. Evolution/atheism has to borrow from the christian world view in order to try and disprove it. The second one annoys me more, but mostly because I detest the term 'world view'. To me it just...

I think you could take this anyway you wanted really. There's no need for you to set a time frame for the development of sentience or society (be it a million years to 500 million years), as a near miss in a time before technology wouldn't be recorded. Remember that your protagonist dinosaur...

I like how his magnet can move a fairly large ball bearing from 3 meters away, and yet seems to leave his computer, right next to it, un-paperweighted.

No objections to that here. By renewable, or more efficient I was thinking about something along the lines of a Bussard ramjet (http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bussard_ramjet) or similar.

That's assuming they don't develop their own renewable/more efficient power sources. Several generations of technological development in a environment largely focused on space travel should result in some significant improvements. Yes I agree with you here, and that was kind of what I was...

I don't see how any generation ship can be expected to achieve it's goals. After a couple of generations, or even one, you're going to have the ship crewed by people with no memory or personal connection to Earth. Why would they be interested in finding a new planet and colonising it? Their...

From all your talk of double standards, I'm surprised that you're refusing to let Aronra define his use of the word 'magic'. You know he's not implying that the universe is an illusion, or that it was formed from trickery (I mean who would have been around to trick?). Why do you get to define...

So you're refusing to have any discussion unless Aronra agrees to your definitions without question? He adapted some of his definitions after you posted rebuttals, but you won't adjust any of yours ever? If it's so easy for you to rebut him then do it, and if your rebuttalas are sound he will...

If you remember way back at the beginning of this thread, it began with Aronra providing a list of defined words. You disagreed with some of those and told him what they should be. He came back and provided arguments as to why some of your definitions were unworkable. Since then all you have...

Aronra gave his reasons why the definitions you proposed were unacceptable to him. You have provided no counter arguments to his, or said precisely which definitions you disagree with. If you want the discussion to progress, perhaps you could detail exactly which of his revisions you disagree...