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Professor Dave Explains

Professor Dave Explains

Welcome! I have a knack for explaining stuff and I want to share some knowledge with you.

I received a BA in chemistry from Carleton College, and performed graduate studies in both synthetic organic chemistry and science education at Cal State Northridge, receiving an MA in the latter. Prior to this I taught for about a decade in various high school and undergraduate settings, specializing in organic chemistry but also teaching general chemistry, physics, and biology.

This channel is for students at the high school and undergraduate level, but it is also for members of the general public who just want to know more about the world and how things work. My goal is to increase science literacy in our society, so please share these tutorials with anyone that you think might enjoy them. Happy learning!

Support my channel: https://www.patreon.com/professordaveexplains

Check out my book "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?": https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH

OChem help here: https://chemmunity.info/dave

Links:
Support Dave: http://patreon.com/professordaveexplains
Facebook: http://facebook.com/professordaveexplains
Instagram: http://instagram.com/daveexplains
Amazon Author: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B08W2749Y9

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  • November 1 · 7 min

    Practice Problem: Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution Rates

    We know about the products of these reactions, but how fast do they go? Give these a shot. Try all of the organic chemistry practice problems: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOCPP Organic Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOrgChem EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Book Depository: http://bit.ly/3aOVDlT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • November 1 · 14 min

    Discussing Grounds For Morality With a Live Caller (Skeptic Haven)

    Skeptic Haven is a show that I appear on from time to time which features live callers on topics pertaining to religion and science, and the calls range from highly contentious to thought-provoking and constructive. Here is one of them. Check out Skeptic Haven: www.youtube.com/ ⁨@SkepticHaven⁩ Watch my other debunks/debates/discussions: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveDebunk EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 7 min

    Practice Problem: Energy Diagrams

    For this one we need to understand what the different parameters on an energy diagram correspond to. Check out my tutorial on this subject in the general chemistry playlist if it seems fuzzy! Try all of the organic chemistry practice problems: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOCPP Organic Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOrgChem EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Book Depository: http://bit.ly/3aOVDlT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 16 min

    Phylogeny and the Tree of Life

    Alright, we've learned about how unicellular organisms came to be, how they became multicellular, and then from those how evolution by natural selection produced all the species in the world today. But there are so many! Millions and millions in fact. Which is most closely related to which? When did each evolve? What about all the ones that are gone? How do we keep track of this?! Ok calm down, friend. There is a whole discipline called taxonomy that we use to keep track of the phylogeny of every species. To see how it works, we look at the tree of life! Watch the whole Biology/Genetics playlist: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveBio General Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveGenChem Organic Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOrgChem Biochemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveBiochem Anatomy & Physiology Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveAnatPhys Biopsychology Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveBiopsych Microbiology/Infectious Diseases Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveMicrobio Pharmacology Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDavePharma History of Drugs Videos: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveHistoryDrugs EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Book Depository: http://bit.ly/3aOVDlT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 11 min

    The High Middle Ages Part 2: Crusades and Inquisitions

    After examining the changes in government and economics during the High Middle Ages, let's turn to the religious and ideological conflicts of the period. Tensions were increasing between the Christian and Muslim worlds, and there were also conflicts with the various sects of Christianity. This led to the Crusades as well as the first of several inquisitions. This stuff can get pretty gruesome, but let's dive into it. Script by Peter Wyetzner Watch the whole World History playlist: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveWorldHistory American History Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveAmericanHistory Italian Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveItalian Classical Physics Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDavePhysics1 Modern Physics Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDavePhysics2 General Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveGenChem Organic Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOrgChem Biochemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveBiochem Biology Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveBio EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 6 min

    Practice Problems: Labeling Carbons

    What's with this hierarchy? Primary, secondary, tertiary... can't all carbons be equal? Well, no. We need to be able to label the degree of substitution of any carbon in an organic molecule so that we can make predictions about the chemistry that can occur. But don't worry, they won't get their feelings hurt. Try all of the organic chemistry practice problems: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOCPP Organic Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOrgChem EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Book Depository: http://bit.ly/3aOVDlT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 1 hr 18 min

    Grifter Tier List: Who is the Biggest Scumbag I've Debunked?

    Hey, you know how I debunk grifting frauds all the time? And how I've debunked so many of them over the past five years? So which is the absolute worst among them? Who is the biggest scumbag I've ever debunked? All the cool kids are doing these tier list things, so I decided to do one too. Place your bets! Fill out your brackets! Or whatever the sports people say. Make it a drinking game! I don't know, just watch this and have fun. Watch all my debunks: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveDebunk EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 1 hr 48 min

    Professor Dave is a Stupid Toxic Jerkface!

    Everyone knows that Professor Dave makes educational tutorials for many subjects, and also debunks pseudoscience, but did you know that he's basically the worst person ever? Like seriously, he's so toxic, and mean, and has a potty mouth, and he's basically just next-level awful. For literally no reason! Nobody wants to be friends with him. I heard it on the internet. Let's check out how absolutely disgusting and awful he is, ok? Watch my other debunks/debates/discussions: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveDebunk EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 10 min

    Practice Problem: Crossed Aldol Products

    Enolate chemistry is tricky business! You might get more products than you think. Give this one a shot. Try all of the organic chemistry practice problems: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOCPP Organic Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOrgChem EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Book Depository: http://bit.ly/3aOVDlT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 11 min

    Negishi Reaction

    Let's cover another cross-coupling reaction, the Negishi reaction, developed by Ei-ichi Negishi. This one introduces organozinc compounds as partners in cross-coupling. Let's see what it's all about! Watch the whole Inorganic/Organometallic Chemistry playlist: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveInorganic General Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveGenChem Organic Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOrgChem Biochemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveBiochem Biology Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveBio Classical Physics Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDavePhysics1 Modern Physics Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDavePhysics2 Mathematics Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveMath EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 1 hr 5 min

    Making Fun of Subboor With Planet Peterson

    Should we make fun of Subboor some more? Why not! Planet Peterson wanted to get in on the fun, so let's make fun of little Subby together. Planet Peterson also makes great debunking content, check out his channel and subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@planetpeterson2824 Watch all of my content humiliating Subboor: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveSubboor Watch my other debunks/debates/discussions: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveDebunk EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 7 min

    Practice Problem: Ozonolysis Reactions

    Ozone isn't just for shielding us from harmful UV radiation! It's a handy-dandy synthetic tool. Try these on for size. Try all of the organic chemistry practice problems: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOCPP Organic Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOrgChem EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Book Depository: http://bit.ly/3aOVDlT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 1 hr 12 min

    Discussion on the Science Counterpunch Podcast (The Urgency of Science Communication)

    Dave appears on the brand new Science Counterpunch podcast with co-hosts Sam Gregson and Philipp Markolin. You may recognize Sam from his channel Bad Boy of Science, and from his contribution to one of my videos exposing Sabine Hossenfelder. And you may recognize Phil from my video debunking the COVID lab leak conspiracy, which was a collaboration that would be impossible without his research and command of the topic. These guys are the real deal, they know how urgent it is to address science denial in its myriad forms. So join us for a discussion on how to best do precisely that. Originally posted 2/20/26: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2fhLAZd250 Check out Sam's channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BadBoyofScience Check out Philipp's scicomm efforts: https://www.protagonist-science.com/podcast Watch my other debunks/debates/discussions: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveDebunk EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 19 min

    Mendelian Genetics and Punnett Squares

    For all of human history, we've been aware of heredity. Children look like their parents. But why? When Gregor Mendel pioneered the field of genetics, he began to try to answer that question, and now that we know about chromosomes, all of his work will make a lot of sense. Let's take a look at Mendel's work, his laws of segregation and independent assortment, and try to understand what these mean for genetics and inheritance. Watch the whole Biology/Genetics playlist: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveBio General Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveGenChem Organic Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOrgChem Biochemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveBiochem Anatomy & Physiology Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveAnatPhys Biopsychology Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveBiopsych Microbiology/Infectious Diseases Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveMicrobio Pharmacology Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDavePharma History of Drugs Videos: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveHistoryDrugs EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Book Depository: http://bit.ly/3aOVDlT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 7 min

    Practice Problem: Diels-Alder Reactions

    Rings upon rings! Forwards and backwards! Give these a shot. Try all of the organic chemistry practice problems: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOCPP Organic Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOrgChem EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Book Depository: http://bit.ly/3aOVDlT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 11 min

    Introduction to Amniota: Characteristics of the Amniotes

    Moving right along with our chordate cladogram, we arrive at the sister group to the amphibians, the amniotes. The defining characteristic within this clade is the amniotic egg. Let's learn more about this important clade to which so many different animals belong! Script by Ryan Helcoski Watch the whole Zoology playlist: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveZoo General Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveGenChem Organic Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOrgChem Biochemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveBiochem Biology Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveBio Anatomy & Physiology Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveAnatPhys Microbiology Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveMicrobio Botany Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveBotany EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Book Depository: http://bit.ly/3aOVDlT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 8 min

    Graphing Conic Sections Part 4: Hyperbolas

    The last conic section is the weirdest looking one. It's the hyperbola! Sometimes it kind of looks like a double parabola, but the equation is totally different. It's actually much more like an ellipse in terms of how the equation works. Let's learn about these things! Watch the whole Mathematics playlist: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveMath Classical Physics Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDavePhysics1 Modern Physics Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDavePhysics2 General Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveGenChem Organic Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOrgChem Biochemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveBiochem Biology Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveBio EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Book Depository: http://bit.ly/3aOVDlT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 12 min

    Practice Problem: IUPAC Nomenclature Examples

    Let's name these bad boys! Watch tutorials 1 through 5 on the organic chemistry playlist if you need a refresher of the rules. Try all of the organic chemistry practice problems: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOCPP Organic Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOrgChem EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Book Depository: http://bit.ly/3aOVDlT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 1 hr 55 min

    Professor Jiang is an Idiot (Predictive History Reaction)

    Who is this guy Professor Jiang that everyone is talking about? He runs a channel called Predictive History, where he pretends to be delivering lectures to students, but he's actually just going on delusional rants where he fumbles the most trivial aspects of every scientific discipline, and spews insane conspiracy theories about geopolitics. The only thing crazier than his ridiculous sermons is the fact that he has been exploding in popularity over the past few weeks based on some not-even-remotely-impressive "predictions" that he made about global affairs. Let's take him down a notch, shall we? Watch my other debunks/debates/discussions: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveDebunk EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • October 31 · 7 min

    Practice Problem: Newman Projections of Conformational Isomers

    Spin that sigma bond and what do you get? Draw the Newman projections and find out! Watch out for pesky gauche interactions. Try all of the organic chemistry practice problems: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOCPP Organic Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOrgChem EMAIL► ProfessorDaveExplains@gmail.com PATREON► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplains Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVH Bookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADM Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Book Depository: http://bit.ly/3aOVDlT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Showing 921–940 of 964 episodes