Table benzene

"Life's too short to be mugging all the time." - adapted and modified from American History X.

Fatigue is setting in, especially since we're done with Chemistry (hurray). Some will have their promos already ended by today, but we should spare a thought for those who haven't finished theirs.

BECAUSE YH, YL AND I STILL HAVE PAPERS TOMORROW.

Anyway, after proceeding to a hawker centre to eat after completing what was arguably the toughest paper for promos by far (and it will probably remain that way), I noticed something very remarkable. It's nothing short of a phenomenon that I felt I had to blog about it.


For the uninitiated (ie for those who don't take Chem and know nuts about it), this is your typical benzene ring.

And for the really uninitiated, I'm not going to try to initiate you in case you suddenly perform free radical substitution on the benzene ring. Then it'd become an aliphatic alkane but for those who are really uninitiated you won't get this anyway.

SO OKAY FORGET WHAT I SAID. I KNOW I CAN GET A BIT MAD WITH CHEMISTRY CONCEPTS AT TIMES.

Basically, I found out that tables at a hawker centre really are like benzene rings. That is because there are six seats around the table, and the theory behind it is quite intriguing.

For example, if the person that sits down at any position, he/she will automatically be number 1 as no one else is eating at the table. If the person is very generous (like electron donating groups in benzene rings), then he/she will be well-liked, and chances are the next person that sits next to him/her will sit next to him/her to be close to the person. So chances are he/she will pay for everyone.

Cunning ploy. Or usually when such a generous, qualified person sits down, the next guy who wants to sit down will sit opposite him/her so he/she can stare wistfully into the person's eyes. And then, of course, hope that he/she pays for the food. But like I mentioned, if the guy is already electron-donating by nature there's nothing much to worry about. That's your 2,4-directing.

However if you get a miser sitting at the table, the next person who sits would probably only be sitting because there's no other place in the hawker centre. However, he/she will try to avoid eye contact with this total stranger who just wants to eat his food and keep it all way from you. This, my friend, is the electron-withdrawing group.

They are 3,5-directing and will cause the next guy to sit in the 3 or 5 positions.

If you don't get what I mean by these numbers, basically (yes not acidically) wherever the first guy sits is labelled one. Then you count clockwise and number the seats off 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. You will find that this theory is generally true.

So when the Chem teachers say that Chemistry has real-life applications, they are right in a sense.

Just head down to your nearest hawker centre, you'll find my theory proven. And if you still don't know the numbering system, you are really a dork and no I'm not going to upload a picture of it because it's seriously fundamental. Though I understand graphical representation might be in want for Arts students, you must understand I don't want to talk so much about Chemistry anymore.

Because it's finally over and yay that's that.

Those who still can't get it, go ask a Chemistry student.

I'm sure they'd be glad to explain it to you, table benzene at work.