Meet the (Most Important) Functional Groups
All About Functional Groups Functional groups are specific groupings of atoms within molecules that have their own characteristic properties, regardless of the other atoms present
Read moreAlkanes and Nomenclature
Condensed Formulas: Deciphering What the Brackets Mean
Recall that there are at least 4 major ways of representing molecules that you’re introduced to in the first week of ochem. The highest level
Read moreHidden Hydrogens, Hidden Lone Pairs, Hidden Counterions
Hidden Hydrogens, Lone Pairs, and Counter-Ions Time is precious. Drawing the full structures of chemical formulae out takes time. Shaving an extra 10-20 seconds here
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 moreBranching, and Its Affect On Melting and Boiling Points
The Effect of Branching On Melting and Boiling Points Recall that alkanes are hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH(n+2) Isomers of hydrocarbons show regular trends
Read moreThe Many, Many Ways of Drawing Butane
Molecules Can Be Drawn In Lots Of Different Ways One of the skills you have to develop early in Org 1 is to learn the
Read moreWedge And Dash Convention For Tetrahedral Carbon
How To Properly Draw Tetrahedral Carbons – And The Many Ways To Screw It Up There is a knack to drawing proper tetrahedrons. And some
Read moreCommon Mistakes in Organic Chemistry: Pentavalent Carbon
Pentavalent (a.k.a. “Texas”) Carbons So what are some of the most common mistakes we can make in organic chemistry? Given the relatively qualitative nature of
Read moreTable of Functional Group Priorities for Nomenclature
How To Determine Which Functional Group Has “Priority” For Naming Purposes When a molecule has multiple functional groups, we could potentially run into problems when
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