"I guess it's time we talk about Diels-Alder/ We're so good at it you know we'll never falter ... "
Spend some time watching rap videos on YouTube, and a few might turn up with lyrics like those above and below.
"Get Markovnikov/ Have you seen him?"
In both videos, the name "Garg" pops up:
"Listen to Garg and you'll be fine/ Sit down and get yourself comfy/ Oh wait, just kidding/ It's CS50, park yo (beep) in the aisle ... "
Who are these people mentioned in the lyrics? Gangstas? No, they're famous ... chemists. Or, in Neil Garg's case, a UCLA organic chemistry professor and vice chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, who has inspired some crazy rhymes and mad moves that have prompted rap videos, ringtones and parodies.
His class is Chemistry 14D: Organic Reactions and Pharmaceuticals, where extra credit is offered to students who create hip-hop videos featuring lyrics that teach a thing or two about molecules.
This annual tradition began in 2010 after one of Garg's students showed him an organic chemistry rap video on YouTube. Garg got the idea of offering a small amount of extra credit to students who wanted to create their own. Not all fun and games, the process was a stringent one, with requirements set by Garg and his teaching assistants.
