Chemist.swiswiswift

Overview

Chemist.swiswiswift is Japanese reaction database and was translated into English for international usage. It has become a good tool for chemistry students and professionals. The site features detailed mechanisms of hundreds of organic chemistry reactions, mirroring content from a mobile database app with over 500 downloads. This site fascinated me, as seemingly, no one had claimed credit nor provided any information as to where or who procured the information for content this rich and detailed.

Website Content and Features

• Extensive Reaction Database: The site includes hundreds of organic chemistry reactions, each with detailed mechanisms.
• Practice Questions: While not abundant, some reactions are accompanied by practice questions to enhance learning.
• Recent Updates: Although the site was created in 2016, most updates occurred in 2021 according to the Wayback Machine. The latest updates indicate ongoing maintenance and content addition.

Mobile App

The site is a ported version of an organic chemistry mobile database app, which has been downloaded over 500 times. The app serves as a portable reference for students and professionals, featuring the same high-quality content found on the website.

Site Drawbacks

• No Theme Switching: The site does not offer a light mode, which may not suit all users.
• Outdated HTML Design: The design is rudimentary and lacks modern web development features.
• Lack of Organization and Referencing: The content, though accurate, is not well-organized and lacks proper referencing, which could impact the user experience and content reliability.
• Hard to See: Some colours used in the mechanisms to indicate side chains or certain bonds of the molecules were very difficult to see.

Author Identity

About Him

The elusive author behind this exceptional repository is known by the pseudonym sin有機化学. Sin有機化学 (SinOrganicChemistry), is Japanese youtuber and Organic Chemist responsible for the comprehensive online resource Chemist.swiswiswift which is dedicated to organic chemistry reactions. Sin actively engages with the chemistry community through various platforms, including Twitter, Google Play, and YouTube. Despite extensive searching, the real identity of sin有機化学 remains unknown. However, their contributions to the field are significant, offering well-organized and accurate chemical reactions and mechanisms.

Author’s Personal Life

Sin有機化学 has openly shared his personal struggles, including financial hardships and a challenging journey through academia and industry. These experiences have shaped his commitment to providing accessible educational resources.

• Financial Struggles: Sin faced the bankruptcy of his family home and accrued significant debt. He worked multiple part-time jobs to support himself and his family.
• Academic Challenges: Sin had to drop out of graduate school due to these financial pressures.
• Living as a NEET (Hikkikomori): For a period, Sin lived as a NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) and engaged in playing Mahjong as a way to cope with his circumstances.
• Overcoming Adversity: Despite these hardships, Sin overcame his struggles through resilience and determination. He channeled his experiences into creating educational resources to help others in the field of organic chemistry.

Collaborations and Contributions

Sin posts videos and content related to reaction mechanisms and regularly engages with the Japanese chemistry community, following students and professionals. Sin is also close to other prominent Japanese chemists such as Morofuji Tatsuya (moropi) whom he shares a deep respect and friendship for.

Social Media