GLOBAL IMMIGRATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

GLOBAL IMMIGRATION - Essay Example Russian Federation is the largest in area country in the world. It contains a lot of regions populated by people from different cultures and ethnicities. Though the country doesn’t set itself up as the liberal one and doesn’t really welcome different cultures. Vice versa the National Immigration Service works hard to fight with illegal immigrants as immigration situation in modern Russia is complicated and causes a lot of problems for society. The problem started to appear in 1990’s when the USSR collapsed and Russian people became free to immigrate to other countries, as they hadn’t had that opportunity in Soviet Union; in addition, a lot of Russians who in soviet times were forced to leave certain territories like North Caucasus came back to their motherlands. Another factor of the depopulation was the high level of mortality and weak health care system. So the post-Soviet Russia started suffering from population crisis (Anderson 437). However, the Russi an borders also became open for several ethnicities who were evicted from their native lands that were parts of soviet territory. Since the collapse of Soviet Union Russian Federation has become one of the most powerful states in the world and definitely it made Russia attractive for immigrants, so it is â€Å"the world’s second largest immigration heaven† (Malinkin n.pag.) nowadays. In American society Russia isn’t considered to be the country where people usually strive to move. This fact became obvious when in his recent interview the President Obama stated that â€Å"immigrants aren’t rushing to Moscow in search of opportunity† (Malinkin n.pag.) and he was mistaken, as they really are rushing to Moscow in great numbers. The strange fact of high immigration rate makes people wonder what are the reasons for people to strive to the country which economy is rather instable and the level of life is not that much higher than theirs. According

Economics of Multinational Enterprise Assignment

Economics of Multinational Enterprise - Assignment Example One of the ways of addressing the risks is by use of operational hedging. This entails introducing a significant degree of flexible in the main operations of a firm. These include the supply chain, channels of distribution, financial positions, and marketing activities (Aghion et al 35). The objective of this strategy is to create adaptable operations that can rapidly respond to any change in the currency movement. This ensures that the fluctuations that may affect the revenues and the costs are offset. Firms can increase their profits by hedging by adopting various strategies. First, they can source materials thus lowering the costs of transportation resulting in increased profits. Another imperative way that the MNEs can adopt is the use of currency invoicing. This implies that the firm can choose a particular denomination that ensures the firm's prices, as well as those of the competitors, are affected by the exchange rate in the same way. This implies that for any firm to retain a competitive position in the market and attain sustainable profits, it can price its products using a volatile currency as long as the competitors use the same price. According to Grassman’s Law, MNEs should use a vehicle currency by considering their stability, low transaction cost, and liquidity. Based on the three aspects, the US dollar has been used as a vehicle currency for a long time by most of Multinational Enterprises. In their efforts to enter the emerging economies, the majority of MNEs undergo challenges that are associated with the legal process, legislative issues as well as technological factors. As a result, the investment flows from the rich countries to the poor countries are adversely affected. However, by initiating strategic economic policies, the investment flows can have similar effects to those of the free trade. One of the strategies that the host countries should emulate is to ensure that the home currency does not depreciate.

Women civil right movement, the first wave of the 1920's Research Paper - 1

Women civil right movement, the first wave of the 1920's - Research Paper Example Similarly, this ideal was the basis for the Equal Rights Amendment Act campaign in 1970. The first wave of the 1920s had thus begun and its end came when women got the right to vote in 1920 (Wood & Fixmer-Oraiz 61-62). Following 2 days of debate and discussion, the initial women’s rights movement in Seneca Falls in New York, ended with the signing of the Declaration of Sentiments by 68 women and 32 men that saw the grievances of women being pointed out and the agenda for women’s rights movement being set. The declaration contained 12 points that were centered on voting rights of women and equality between women and men in the law. Two years later, the first National Women’s Rights Convention took place in Massachusetts where over 1000 participants were present and this saw the beginning of the annual national conventions till 1860 with the exception of 1857. May of 1869 saw Elizabeth Stanton and Susan Anthony form the National Women Suffrage Association whose primary objective was to institute a Congressional amendment to the Constitution that would make it possible for women to realize voting rights. In November of the same year, the American Women Suffrage Association is for med by Henry Blackwell, Lucy Stone and others and this organization solely sought to make amendments to individual states’ laws in order to realize the attainment of voting rights of women. Lucy Stone was recognized as becoming the foremost woman documented to maintain her own name subsequent to marriage. Wyoming became the first state to pass the women’s suffrage law in 10th December 1869 and in the following year women start to participate in juries in their state (DuBois 74-77). In 1890, the National Woman Suffrage Association together with the American Women Suffrage Association merged to come up with the National American Women Suffrage Association. This became the movement’s mainstream organization and as such set out on

Organizational Behavior Concerning Change within the Workplace Term Paper

Organizational Behavior Concerning Change within the Workplace - Term Paper Example ABC Merchandise, a U.S-based manufacturer of sports products, is facing a pronounced downturn in business. Top management has decided to reduce its workforce. This managerial action is expected to improve the efficiency of the firm and, subsequently, to enhance its competitiveness. Their management is facing the question of how to go about downsizing and which downsizing strategy or strategies to adopt? A downsizing strategy directly, or indirectly, impacts stakeholders such as management and non-management employees, communities, suppliers, and customers. At issue is whether the savings from employee reductions may, under certain conditions, be more than offset by rising agency costs and other stakeholder costs. Studies conducted by Amundson, Borgen, Jordan, & Erlebach (2004) and Armstrong-Stassen (2004) have highlighted negative effects of firing and layoffs on surviving employees, which include high degrees of stress due to increased workloads and job insecurity, reduction in orga nizational commitment, and lack of trust in management. Therefore it is important that downsizing process must entail long term thinking and it should b done in the context of coherent plan. Downsizing: Impact on Stakeholders Not all downsizing outcomes are positive. The evidence continues to prove that downsizing is risky business, often leaving a legacy of inhumane management which targets only symptoms and in the long run destroys the future health of the organization. About half of the organizations never see the benefits expected from downsizing. Long-term decreases in labor costs are achieved by fewer than two-thirds of the organizations that downsize and less than half of the organizations realize any lasting improvements in profitability (Hopkins & Weathington, 2006). The simple fact is downsizing doesn't guarantee increased profits. Organization begins internal and external actions to reduce costs. If downsizing is selected, four steps follow: (a) planning for downsizing, ( b) communication of the workforce reduction, (c) implementation of the reduction, and (d) managing the new workforce (Mondy & Noe, 1993). Each of these steps has associated human resource issues. During the planning stage, rumors and unintended organizational messages are a problem, because the anticipation of reductions interferes with communication. During the actual reductions, coping with the reduction activity is the chief concern. Finally, when managing the new workforce, survivor issues emerge. All of these lead to reduced organizational effectiveness indicated by increased turnover and decreased productivity (Mondy & Noe, 1993). Companies often manage to eliminate the right numbers of people in the wrong areas or lose some of the best minds, especially if cost cutting is the driving force (Mondy & Noe, 1993). New employees must be recruited and trained, contractors hired, or ex ­-employees brought back as contractors. All of these situations create problems. Unfortunately, the increased costs for training the workforce, working necessary overtime, contributing to retiree health benefits, and making severance payments catch organizations unprepared for the total expense. Prospective employees are likely to avoid a

Riters explore control in The Rivals Essay Example for Free

Riters explore control in The Rivals Essay Although written centuries apart, ‘The Wife Of Bath’ and ‘The Rivals’ both effectively embody the desire for control. By presenting their respective protagonists as sly and deceptive, Sheridan and Chaucer allow their characters to dominate and manipulate both their fellow characters and the audience to their liking. Likewise, the qualities of verbal wit presented among the female protagonists by Chaucer and Sheridan allow these female characters to assert their influence, intellectually and comically. Despite the presence of male patriarchal forces restoring the domineering women to their inferior social status; the constant shift in control amongst the characters permit Sheridan and Chaucer to draw parallels with the changes in their own societies. In particular, the deception demonstrated in the texts enables certain characters to take control over traditional sources of power. With regards to ‘The Wife Of Bath’, although Medieval society condemned women to eternal servitude of their husbands; critic Marsh’s view that the Wife depends upon â€Å"Deceit as a defence against male domination† portrays her as willing to deceive her (dominant) male counterparts in return for self-control. In fact the proud and boastful tone evokes by the Wife in reference to her first three husbands, â€Å"How piteously a-nyght I made hem swynke† emphasises how her manipulative skills during sex have successfully transferred dominance over to the Wife herself , as reiterated by Chaucer’s use of the personal pronoun â€Å"I†. Similarly, Lucy’s lower class status in ‘The Rivals’ does not impede her from taking advantage of her peers, as demonstrated by her cunning tone here, â€Å"Commend me to a mask of silliness, and a pair of eyes for my own interest under it! † In fact, Sheridan, like other contemporary writers, Goldsmith and Foote, wrote ‘The Rivals’ to follow the structure of a Comedy of Manners, whereby a contemporary, sophisticated class was mocked through the medium of a play. Therefore, Lucy’s deception in refusing to disclose the identity of ‘Delia’ to Sir Lucius and accepting bribes, indeed places her in a position of control as Sheridan relies on Lucy to provide the mockery of the seemingly flawless upper classes. Overall, the deceptive skills of Lucy and the Wife provide them with the utmost control over those supposedly superior than themselves. Additionally, the verbal wit of the Wife and Mrs Malaprop allows them to convey their intellect in male-dominated spheres. Mrs Malaprop in ‘The Rivals’ undeniably becomes powerful as a result of her ‘Malapropisms’, that is, her comical verbal errors. The comedic effect of the exclamation marks and bold tone from Mrs Malaprop here, ‘An attack upon my language! Sure if I reprehend anything in this world, it is the use of my†¦nice derangement of epitaphs! ’, conveys how the power she gains over the audience and fellow characters stems from humour. Therefore, critics Loftis’ view that Mrs Malaprop’s ‘Fault arises from intellectual rather than social affectation’ refers directly to Mrs Malaprop’s impact through her language. Although ‘fault’ seems critical of Malaprop, it could also emphasize the humorous and powerful effect her verbal blunders have in the play. Meanwhile, the Wife adopts examples of textual authority to empower her arguments against those who attempt to undermine her, like the Church. Despite Medieval women not receiving an education due to their believed inferiority, the Wife calls on ‘The wise astrologien, Daun Ptholome’ to validate her controversial arguments. This unusual intelligence among Medieval women indisputably places the Wife in a position of superiority over men, notably in her Prologue. Therefore, although verbal wit is used by Mrs Malaprop and the Wife for opposite purposes, the reaction provoked by other characters and the audience enable Sheridan and Chaucer to present these women as very powerful. Despite the dominance of the female characters, Chaucer and Sheridan also convey control via male patriarchy. When recounting Jankyn’s violence, the Wife uses derogatory language to insult Jankyn, ‘O!hastow slayn me, false theef? ’. Although the Wife subsequently gains his sympathy, the notion of her being abused demonstrates how Jankyn, according to Medival custom, controls the Wife and can therefore attack her if he wishes. In fact, according to critic Ellis, through the Wife making Jankyn feel guilty about attacking her; she commits ‘An act little short of symbolic castration’ by obtaining the power a Medieval husband typically held over his wife. However, patriarchy remains dominant in ‘The Rivals’. During a quarrel with Faulkland, the pity gained by Julia from the audience here, ‘It lost you the love of one, who would have followed you in beggary through the world’, reflects how men retain total control in the play as Julia’s emotions have been repressed by Faulkland’s temper. Interestingly, in Sheridan’s era, the notion of Julia breaking off an engagement with Faulkland would have been seen as outrageous by society. In Georgian times, only men were able to dissolve such engagements instead of women; indicating how men remained totally dominant, even as far as ove was concerned. Therefore, while the Wife manages to overcome the limitations of patriarchy; Julia’s inability to control Faulkland represents how the urge to control is often unsuccessful among characters. In conclusion, via an endlessly-shifting dominance between male and female characters; Sheridan and Chaucer effectively encapsulate the complex nature of control. In particular, despite the social restrictions placed on the Wife, her ability to deceive and argue her way into control regardless of opposition represents how her desire for dominance not only ‘drives’ her life; but the progression of the text. Similarly, the dominance obtained by the lower-class Lucy and the repression of the upper-class Julia indeed embodies the comedic elements of ‘The Rivals’, yet symbolises the difficulty of becoming dominant with such gender and social limitations. For this reason, only Lucy and the Wife gain control due to their wise but cunning manipulation of the expectations imposed on them by society and their counterparts in the texts.

Wireless Lan Applications Areas Computer Science Essay

Wireless Lan Applications Areas Computer Science Essay G. Marconi invented the wireless telegraph in 1896. In 1901, he sent telegraphic signals across the Atlantic Ocean from Cornwall to St. Johns Newfoundland; a distance of 1800 miles. His invention allowed two parties to communicate by sending each other alphanumeric characters encoded in an analog signal. Over the last century, advances in wireless technologies have led to the radio, the television, the mobile telephone, and communication satellites. All types of information can now be sent to almost every corner of the world. Recently, a good attention has been focused on wireless networking. Early wireless LAN products, introduced in the late 1980s, were marketed as substitutes for traditional wired LANs. Wireless networking is allowing businesses to develop WANs, MANs, and LANs without cabling. A wireless LAN saves the cost of the installation of LAN cabling and eases the task of relocation and other modifications to network structure. The IEEE has developed 802.11 as a standard for wireless LANs. The Bluetooth industry consortium is also working to provide a seamless wireless networking technology. The impact of wireless communications has been and will continue to be profound. Very few inventions have been able to shrink the world in such a manner. The standards that define how wireless communication devices interact are quickly converging and soon will allow the creation of a global wireless network that will deliver a wide variety of services. 1.2 Over view As the name suggests, a wireless LAN is one that makes use of a wireless transmission medium. Until recently, wireless LANs were little used. The reasons for this included high prices, data rates, occupational safety concerns, and licensing requirements. As these problems have been now addressed, the popularity of wireless LANs has grown rapidly. 1.3 Wireless LAN Applications Areas: There are four application areas for wireless LANs: LAN extension, Cross- building interconnect, Nomadic access and Ad hoc networks. LAN Extension The motivation for wireless LANs was overtaken by events. First, as awareness of the need for LANs became greater, architects designed new buildings to include extensive pre wiring for data applications. Second, with advances in data transmission technology, there is an increasing reliance on twisted pair cabling for LANs and in particular, Category3 and Category 5 unshielded twisted pair. However, in some environments, there is a role for the wireless LAN as an alternative to a wired LAN. Examples include buildings with large open areas. In most of these cases, an organization will also have a wired LAN to support servers and some stationary workstations. Thus, this application area is referred to as LAN extension. There is a backbone wired LAN, such as Ethernet, that supports servers, workstations, and one or more bridges or routers to link with other networks. In addition, there is a Control Module (CM) that acts as an interface to a wireless LAN. The control module includes either bridge or router functionality to link the wireless LAN to the backbone. It includes some sort of access control logic, such as a polling or token-passing scheme, to regulate the access from the end systems. Cross- Building Interconnect Another use of wireless LAN technology is to connect LANs in nearby buildings, be they wired or wireless LANs. In this case, a point-to-point wireless link is used between two buildings. The devices so connected are typically bridges or routers. This single point-to-point link is not a LAN per se, but it is usual to include this application under the heading of wireless LAN. Nomadic Access Nomadic access provides a wireless link between a LAN hub and mobile data terminal equipped with an antenna, such as a laptop computer or notepad computer. Nomadic access is also useful in an extended environment such as a campus or a business operating out of a cluster of buildings. Ad Hoc Networking An ad hoc network is a peer-to-peer network (no centralized server) set up temporarily to meet some immediate need. For example, a group of employees, each with a laptop or palmtop computer may convene in a conference room for a business or classroom meeting. The employees link their computers in a temporary network just for the duration of the meeting. There are differences between a wireless LAN that supports LAN extension and nomadic access requirements and an ad hoc wireless LAN. In the former case, the wireless LAN forms a stationary infrastructure consisting of one or more cells with a control module for each cell. Within a cell, there may be a number of stationary end systems. Nomadic stations can move from one cell to another. In contrast, there is no infrastructure for an ad hoc network. Rather, a peer collection of stations within range of each other may dynamically configure themselves into a temporary network. Fig 1.1 Wireless LAN Configurations 1.4 Wireless LAN Requirements A wireless LAN must meet the same sort of requirements typical of any LAN, including high capacity, ability to cover short distances, full connectivity among attached stations, and broadcast capability. In addition, there are a number of requirements specific to the wireless LAN environment. The following are among the most important requirements for wireless LANs. Throughput: The medium access control protocol should make as efficient use as possible of the wireless medium to maximize capacity. Number of nodes: Wireless LANs may need to support hundreds of nodes across multiple cells. Connection to backbone LAN: In most cases, interconnection with stations on a wired backbone LAN is required. For infrastructure wireless LANs, this is easily accomplished through the use of control modules that connect to both types of LANs. There may also need to be accommodation for mobile users and ad hoc wireless networks. Service area: A typical coverage area for a wireless LAN has a diameter of 100 to 300m. Battery power consumption: Mobile workers use battery-powered workstations that need to have a long battery life when used with wireless adapters. This suggests that a MAC protocol that requires mobile nodes to monitor access points constantly or engage in frequent handshakes with a base station is inappropriate. Typical wireless LAN implementations have features to reduce power consumption while not using the network, such as a sleep mode. Transmission robustness and security: Unless properly designed, a wireless LAN may be interference prone and easily eavesdropped. The design of a wireless LAN must permit reliable transmission even in a noisy environment and should provide some level of security from eavesdropping. Collocated network operation: As Wireless LANs become more popular, it is quite likely for two or more wireless LANs to operate in the same area or in some area where interference between the LANs is possible. Such interferee may thwart the normal operation of a MAC algorithm and may allow unauthorized access to a particular LAN. License-free operation: Users would prefer to buy and operate wireless LAN products without having to secure a license for the frequency band used by the LAN. Handoff/roaming: The MAC protocol used in the wireless LAN should enable mobile stations to move from one cell to another. Dynamic configuration: The MAC addressing and network management aspects of the LAN should permit dynamic and automated addition, deletion, and relocation of end systems without disruption to other users. 1.5 The Trouble with Wireless Wireless is convenient and often less expensive to deploy than fixed services, but wireless is not perfect. There are limitations, political and technical difficulties that may ultimately prevent wireless technologies from reaching the other side with full potential. Two limiting issues are incompatible standards and device limitations. Device limitations also restrict the free flow of data. The small LCD on a mobile telephone is inadequate for displaying more than a few lines of text. In additions, most mobile wireless devices cannot access the vast majority of WWW sites on the Internet. The browsers use a special language, wireless markup language (WML), instead of the de facto standard HTML. Most likely, no one wireless device will be able to meet every need. The potential of wireless can be met but not with a single product. Wireless will succeed because it will be integrated into a variety of devices that can meet a variety of needs. 1.6 Fading in the Mobile Environment Perhaps the most challenging technical problem being faced by communication systems engineers is fading in a mobile environment. The term fading refers to the time variation of received signal power caused by changes in the transmission medium or path(s). In a fixed environment, fading is affected by changes in atmospheric conditions, such as rainfall. But in a mobile environment, where one of the two antennae is moving relative to the other, the relative location of various obstacles changes over time, creating complex transmission effects. 1.6.1 Types of Fading Fading effects in a mobile environment can be classified as either fast or slow. Referring to Fig 1.2, as the mobile unit moves down a street in an urban environment, rapid variations in signal strength occur over distances of about one-half a wavelength. The rapidly changing waveform is an example of the spatial variation of received signal amplitude. The changes of amplitude can be as much as 20 or 30 dB over a short distance. This type of rapidly changing fading phenomenon, known as fat fading, affects not only mobile devices in automobiles, but even a mobile phone user walking down an urban street. As the mobile user covers distances well in excess of a wavelength, the urban environment changes, as the user passes buildings of different heights, vacant lots, intersections, and so forth. Over these longer distances, there is a change in the average received power level about which the rapid fluctuations occur. This is referred to as slow fading. Lamp Post B D C A Fig 1.2 Mobile unit signal reflections Fading channel models are often used to model the effects of electromagnetic transmission of information over the air in cellular networks and broadcast communication. Fading channel models are also used in underwater acoustic communications to model the distortion caused by the water. Mathematically, fading is usually modeled as a time-varying random change in the amplitude and phase of the transmitted signal. 1.6.2 Slow vs. Fast Fading The terms slow and fast fading refer to the rate at which the magnitude and phase change imposed by the channel on the signal changes. The coherence time is a measure of the minimum time required for the magnitude change of the channel to become decorrelated from its previous value. Slow fading arises when the coherence time of the channel is large relative to the delay constraint of the channel. In this regime, the amplitude and phase change imposed by the channel can be considered roughly constant over the period of use. Slow fading can be caused by events such as shadowing, where a large obstruction such as a hill or large building obstructs the main signal path between the transmitter and the receiver. The amplitude change caused by shadowing is often modeled using a log-normal distribution with a standard deviation according to the Log Distance Path Loss Model. Fast Fading occurs when the coherence time of the channel is small relative to the delay constraint of the channel. In this regime, the amplitude and phase change imposed by the channel varies considerably over the period of use. In a fast-fading channel, the transmitter may take advantage of the variations in the channel conditions using time diversity to help increase robustness of the communication to a temporary deep fade. Although a deep fade may temporarily erase some of the information transmitted, use of an error-correcting code coupled with successfully transmitted bits during other time instances (interleaving) can allow for the erased bits to be recovered. In a slow-fading channel, it is not possible to use time diversity because the transmitter sees only a single realization of the channel within its delay constraint. A deep fade therefore lasts the entire duration of transmission and cannot be mitigated using coding. Flat vs. Frequency-selective Fading As the carrier frequency of a signal is varied, the magnitude of the change in amplitude will vary. The coherence bandwidth measures the minimum separation in frequency after which two signals will experience uncorrelated fading. In flat fading, the coherence bandwidth of the channel is larger than the bandwidth of the signal. Therefore, all frequency components of the signal will experience the same magnitude of fading. In frequency-selective fading, the coherence bandwidth of the channel is smaller than the bandwidth of the signal. Different frequency components of the signal therefore experience decorrelated fading. In a frequency-selective fading channel, since different frequency components of the signal are affected independently, it is highly unlikely that all parts of the signal will be simultaneously affected by a deep fade. Certain modulation schemes such as OFDM and CDMA are well-suited to employ frequency diversity to provide robustness to fading. OFDM divides the wideband signal into many slowly modulated narrowband subcarriers, each exposed to flat fading rather than frequency selective fading. This can be combated by means of error coding, simple equalization or adaptive bit loading. Inter-symbol interference is avoided by introducing a guard interval between the symbols. CDMA uses the Rake receiver to deal with each echo separately. Frequency-selective fading channels are also dispersive, in that the signal energy associated with each symbol is spread out in time. This causes transmitted symbols that are adjacent in time to interfere with each other. Equalizers are often deployed in such channels to compensate for the effects of the inter symbol interference. Fading effects can also be classified as flat or selective. Flat fading, or nonselective fading, is that type of fading in which all frequency components of the received signal fluctuate in the same proportions simultaneously. Selective fading affects unequally the different spectral components of a radio signal. The term selective fading is usually significant only relative to the bandwidth of the overall communications channel. If attenuation occurs over a portion of the bandwidth of the signal, the fading is considered to be selective; nonselective fading implies that the signal bandwidth of interest is narrower than, and completely covered by, the spectrum affected by the fading.

Diels-Alder Reactions Experiment

Diels-Alder Reactions Experiment Abstract A Diels Alder reaction was done during this experiment between anthracene and maleic anhydride via to yield 9, 10-dihydroanthracene-9, 10-ÃŽÂ ±, ÃŽÂ ²-succinic anhydride. Anthracene was the diene and maleic anhydride was the dienophile. Following recrystallization of the product using xylene and vacuum filtration, a percent yield of 39.9% was calculated for the recrystallized product that was collected. The yield may have been low due to several of the crystals being stuck to flask and not going into the funnel, and there may have been other sources of error. The percent recovery from recrystallization was 56%. The melting point of the recrystallized product was 260 264 °C, while the literature melting point of 262 264 °C. Comparing these values shows that the product was indeed and that recrystallization yielded a purer product. Upon examination of an infrared spectrum of the product and of anthracene and maleic anhydride spectra, the data showed that the product spectru m had similarities with both spectrums for anthracene and the maleic anhydride. This indicated that 9, 10-dihydroanthracene-9, 10-ÃŽÂ ±, ÃŽÂ ²-succinic anhydride was a product of both anthracene and maleic anhydride, and thus that the experiment was successful. Figure 1: Reaction scheme of 9,10 dihydroanthracene-9, 10- ÃŽÂ ±, ß-succinic anhydride Introduction The 1950, Otto Paul Hermann Diels and Kurt Alder were awarded Nobel Prize in chemistry for their work on the discovery and development of [4+2] cycloaddition reactions. Diels-Alder reactions are used to synthesize new carbon-carbon bonds, more commonly they form six-membered cyclic compounds. The Diels-Alder reaction is categorized as a pericyclic reaction, which involves the overlap of spatial orbitals as well as the hybridization and delocalization of the molecules.1 The Diels-Alder reaction is a member of a class of reactions called cycloadditions, which are under pericyclic reactions. Usually, the reaction involves three à Ã¢â€š ¬ bonds, two from the diene and one from the dienophile in the reaction to form a six-membered ring.Since this reaction involves four à Ã¢â€š ¬ electrons in the diene and two à Ã¢â€š ¬ electrons from the dienophile, it is sometimes referred to as a 4à Ã¢â€š ¬ + 2à Ã¢â€š ¬ cycloaddition. Various chiral auxiliaries and catalysts for asymmetric Die ls-Alder chemistry have been developed that allow the cycloaddition to proceed with very high levels of selectivity.3 The use of chiral Lewis acid catalysts and high pressure to enhance the selectivity and rate of these [4à Ã¢â€š ¬ + 2à Ã¢â€š ¬]-cycloadditions have further extended the scope of this remarkable reaction.1,2 Diels-Alder reactions are normally favored by electron donating groups on the diene and electron withdrawing groups on the dienophile. The diene must be able to achieve a s-cis conformation to generate the cis double bond in the cyclohexene product.3 Acyclic dienes may rotate around a single bond, but dienes locked in the s-trans conformation do not react.3 The purpose of this experiment is to yield 9,10-dihydroanthracene-9,10-ÃŽÂ ±, ÃŽÂ ²-succinic anhydride via a Diels Alder reaction between anthracene and maleic anhydride, as shown in figure 1. Anthracene acts as the diene and maleic anhydride functions as the dienophile. Xylene is used as a high boili ng temperature solvent so that the reaction will proceed quickly. A key characteristic of these reactions is their stereospecificity.3 Based on the interaction between a cyclic diene and a dienophile, different stereoisomeric compounds are formed. Stereochemistry represents a major component of the Diels-Alder reaction.2 Due to the interaction and arrangement between the conjugated diene and dienophile, an endo and exo product could be formed, which can characterize the reaction as stereo- and/or regioselective. Experimental Instruments used: The instruments that were used were the Thomas Hoover Melting, and a Nicolet IR 100 FT-IR were used in this experiment. Procedure and Observations: A reflux apparatus was assembled. Xylene (6 mL), anthracene (0.5 g), and maleic anhydride (0.25 g) were added to a round bottom flask (25 mL). The solution turned a yellow color when the reactants were added together. The reflux was then started, and once it began to boil, it was boiled for 30 minutes. A watch glass was weighed (35.55 g), which the product would later be transferred to. After reflux, the solution was cooled to room temperature, and then xylene (6 mL) was added to a test tube and laced into an ice bath. The solution appeared to be a golden yellow color after the reflux. Next, xylene (15 mL) was added to a beaker (50 mL), and then a vacuum apparatus was assembled. The solution was placed chilled for 5 minutes, and it became cloudy and crystals began to form. The solution was filtered through a Buchner funnel on the vacuum filtration. After the vacuum filtration, the crude product were light yellowish-brown crystals. Xylene (15 mL) was boiled , and was then added to the crude product, just enough to cover it, and was heated. The crystals began to dissolve the hot xylene was added, and as it dissolved the color became lighter and clearer. Once dissolved, the solution was then placed into an ice bath, after being cooled to room temperature. It was then put through the vacuum filtration; the recrystallized product was allowed to dry, and then weighed (0.28 g). Finally, the product was analyzed using IR and the melting point apparatus. References C. Oliver Kappe, S. Shaun Murphree, Albert Padwa, Synthetic applications of furan Diels-Alder chemistry, Tetrahedron, Volume 53, Issue 42, 1997, Pages 14179-14233, ISSN 0040-4020. Wade, L.G., Jr. The Diels-Alder Reaction of Anthracene and Maleic Anhydride (1998). Simek, Jan William., and L. G. Wade. Solutions Manual Organic Chemistry, Eighth Edition L.G. Wade, Jr. Boston: Pearson, Boston, 2013. Print.