Steric Hindrance is Like a Fat Goalie
Steric Hindrance In Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions Sportswriter Todd Gallagher asked a question that every hockey fan has probably asked at one point. “Could a morbidly
Read morePi-Donation and Pi-Donors
Resonance In Organic Chemistry: Pi Donation and Pi Donors In this article we discuss pi-donation, which is just another way of saying that atoms with a lone
Read moreCommon Blind Spot: Intramolecular Reactions
Intramolecular Reactions An intramolecular reaction is when the nucleophile and electrophile are present on the same molecule. The bonds that form and break in an
Read moreOxidative Cleavage of Vicinal Diols With NaIO4 and Pb(OAc)4
Sodium Periodate, NaIO4 As A Reagent In Organic Chemistry In a blatant plug for the Reagent Guide each Friday I profile a different reagent that is
Read moreDon’t Be Futyl, Learn The Butyls
There are four different types of “butyls”, and they all have their own name. In addition they each have a common name (“trivial name”) which
Read morePrimary, Secondary, Tertiary, Quaternary In Organic Chemistry
How To Recognize Primary, Secondary, Tertiary (and sometimes Quaternary) Hydrocarbons, Carbocations, Alkyl Halides, Alcohols, Amines, and Amides. Primary (1°), secondary (2°), tertiary (3°) and quaternary
Read moreSummary: Three Key Families Of Alkene Reaction Mechanisms
The Three Key Families Of Alkene Addition Reaction Mechanisms (Plus Two Minor Ones) In this post we’ll do a final review of alkene addition reactions
Read moreReagent Friday: NBS (N-Bromo Succinimide)
N-Bromosuccinimide (NBS) As A Reagent In Organic Chemistry In a blatant plug for the Reagent Guide, each Friday I profile a different reagent that is commonly
Read moreReagent Friday: Chromic Acid, H2CrO4
H2CrO4 (Chromic Acid, a.k.a. the protonated form of K2Cr2O7 / Na2Cr2O7 / K2CrO4 / Na2CrO4) As A Reagent In Organic Chemistry In a blatant plug
Read moreGrossman’s Rule
A few months ago after putting up this post on “Hidden Hydrogens, Hidden Lone Pairs, and Hidden Counterions”, commenter Stewie Griffin made me aware of
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