Curved Arrows (for reactions)
Curved Arrows: The Accounting System For Electron Movement If you think of electrons as the currency of chemistry, reactions are transactions of electrons between atoms.
Read moreHow To Prepare for Organic Chemistry Exams
A common problem students tell me is that they feel that they know the material, but when they write an exam, they don’t do well.
Read moreAlkene Addition Pattern #3: The “Concerted” Pathway
“Concerted” Mechanisms In Alkene Addition Reactions: Hydroboration, Hydrogenation, Epoxidation, Dihydroxylation, And Simmons-Smith Cyclopropanation. In contrast to alkene addition reactions in the Carbocation Pathway and the
Read more“Organic Chemistry Is Like…” – A Few Metaphors
What’s organic chemistry, and how is it different from most classes you’ll encounter? In this post I share a few useful metaphors from commenters on
Read moreNucleophiles and Electrophiles
Nucleophiles and Electrophiles, Nucleophilicity and Electrophilicity All through the series on understanding where electrons are, and how they flow, we’ve been talking about how the
Read moreThe Three Classes of Nucleophiles
I know I’ve said this before, but a whole lot of organic chemistry can be boiled down to “nucleophile attacks electrophile“. A nucleophile is a
Read moreThe Conjugate Acid Is A Better Leaving Group
Adding Acid Increases Leaving Group Ability Sure, it’s one thing to recognize halogens (Cl, Br, and I) as having high leaving group ability, as well
Read moreAcid Base Reactions In Organic Chemistry
An Introduction to Acid Base Reactions In Organic Chemistry Now that we’ve described how to figure out where the electrons are in a molecule, the
Read moreInterview: “Taking Organic Chemistry Is A Great Way To Develop Critical Thinking Skills”
A few weeks ago I had the chance to interview (via e-mail) an instructor of organic chemistry at a medium-size American school, who shared her
Read moreThe Stronger The Acid, The Weaker The Conjugate Base
Basicity In Organic Chemistry: Some Basicity Trends Today we’ll look at a simple periodic basicity trend across the periodic table and extrapolate from it some
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