Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I am doing a science fair project based on an article "Synthesis and Ligand-Exchange Reactions of a Tri-Tungsten Cluster with Applications in Biomedical Imaging." Basically, I am synthesizing a chemical. My problem is that I have to be "an expert" on my topic, and I have to write a lengthy research paper, but this stuff is college level. I would like to know how to pick out and explain all the reactions that will occur during my science fair. I also need to find 3 other labs that are similar to mine. I know this doesn't give a lot of information on what I'm doing, but honestly, it's all I know. The doi of the article I'm basing my project on is: doi:10.1021/ed100024f If you could help, I would be very thankful.

Hello, Sapphirefire,

From what you've written, I am not exactly sure what your project is about. Are you trying to do what the authors of the paper did in their experiment, or something else? Were you assigned this article by your teacher, or did you choose it yourself? If you could clarify, that would be great! Also, the first task that you'll have to complete before you start anything else is understanding the paper, which discusses advanced techniques and points out keywords, such as IR spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, synthesis, and UV-vis spectroscopy. I'm sure you already understand synthesis and have the full paper with you, but in case you're not sure about what spectroscopy is, this is a good place to start: http://www.camo.com/resources/types_spectroscopy.html.

As for the three other labs (I'm assuming you mean papers or articles), be sure to look for the "Related Content" box on whichever site you found the paper. This box lists other papers that may cover similar material as "Synthesis and Ligand-Exchange Reactions of a Tri-Tungsten Cluster with Applications in Biomedical Imaging."

Thank you so much for replying. My teacher originally chose a bunch of topics, and I chose this specific one from her options. I am not doing the part of the lab with IR spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. I'm synthesizing the chemical, using TLC, and the UV-vis, so I actually do understand some of it. Thank you for suggesting the "Related Content" box; it seems very helpful. At the moment I do not have any more specific questions, but I probably will this week. Thank you again!