Summary Sheet – Alkane Nomenclature
Part of the problem with nomenclature is that the trivial names can cause a lot of confusion. By themselves, the IUPAC names are at least
Read moreAlkanes and Nomenclature
Meet the (Most Important) Functional Groups
Functional groups are specific groupings of atoms within molecules that have their own characteristic properties, regardless of the other atoms present in a molecule. Common
Read moreCondensed 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
Time is precious. Drawing the full structures of chemical formulae out is a gigantic pain. From a distance, maybe an extra 10-20 seconds here or
Read moreDon’t Be Futyl, Learn The Butyls
Nomenclature: what a headache. We’ve got all these accumulated years of jargon regarding chemical structures, and unless you learn the lingo, it can be confusing
Read morePrimary, Secondary, Tertiary, Quaternary In Organic Chemistry
Organic chemists, with carbon chemistry as their subject, have developed all kinds of shorthand phrases to describe structures and phenomena that might otherwise take a
Read moreBranching, and Its Affect On Melting and Boiling Points
Better stacking = higher melting point The above photo shows what is perhaps one of the worst games of Tetris ever played. In my defence,
Read moreThe Many, Many Ways of Drawing Butane
One of the skills you have to develop early in Org 1 is to learn the different conventions for drawing molecules. Let’s use butane as
Read moreCommon Mistakes: Drawing Tetrahedral Carbons
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
So what are some of the most common mistakes we can make in organic chemistry? Given the relatively qualitative nature of sophomore organic chemistry, it
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