The Most Important Question To Ask When Learning a New Reaction
About a month or so ago I had a big revelation as an instructor. Something that I’d been taking for granted, that was right under
Read moreA Primer On Organic Reactions
The 4 Major Classes of Reactions in Org 1
At least 80% of the reactions you will learn in Org 1 fall into one of these 4 categories. The sooner you can get into the habit of recognizing bond formation and breakage the better off you will be.
Read moreLearning New Reactions: How Do The Electrons Move?
The most important question when learning a new reaction is recognizing “What Bonds Form, What Bonds Break?” If that’s #1, then what’s the second most
Read moreHow (and why) electrons flow
So what is the key “driving force” involved in chemistry? A chemist would say that “opposite charges attract, like charges repel.” But how can we
Read moreThe Third Most Important Question to Ask When Learning A New Reaction
When learning any new reaction, I think you always have to start with the “what”. What bonds are forming, and what bonds are breaking. After
Read more7 Factors that stabilize negative charge in organic chemistry
Like I wrote about last time, it’s good – but not enough – to recognize partial charges and to figure out where they interact. Since
Read more7 Factors That Stabilize Positive Charge in Organic Chemistry
Just to clarify: make sure you’re familiar with how formal charge can lie before you read this. These factors determine the stability of “true” positive
Read moreCommon Mistakes: Formal Charges Can Mislead
Formal charges have their plusses and minuses. Har har. One one hand, they’re an indispensable accounting tool. If a molecule bears a charge, it would
Read moreNucleophiles and Electrophiles
All through the series on understanding where electrons are, and how they flow, we’ve been talking about how the basis of chemistry is that opposite
Read moreCurved Arrows (for reactions)
If you think of electrons as the currency of chemistry, reactions are transactions of electrons between atoms. Just like double entry book keeping was developed
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