Keto-Enol Tautomerism: Key Points
Everything you ever wanted to know (and more!) about keto-enol tautomerism.
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Curved Arrows and Addition Reactions
The last two posts have been about a pretty amazing new concept. Not only can lone pairs act as nucleophiles…. but π bonds can too! Alkenes
Read moreIntroduction to Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions
Following up on the 4 most important patters of reactions in Org 1, and introduction to acid-base reactions, here’s the second major pattern. It’s called
Read moreCommon Blind Spot: Intramolecular Reactions
So I bought a belt today (pleather, 75 cents at the Goodwill). and decided to show it off. This is me putting it together. This
Read moreReaction Friday: Friedel Crafts Acylation
Today’s Reaction Friday is about the Friedel Crafts acylation of benzene and other aromatics, an important example of electrophilic aromatic substitution. One thing I forgot
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 morePartial Charges Give Clues About Electron Flow
There’s a hidden layer of detail beneath chemical structures that students new to organic chemistry often miss. I’m talking about partial charges. Although each of
Read moreNucleophilicity vs. Basicity
Following up on Nucleophiles and Electrophiles, here’s a common question students have about nucleophilicity: What’s the difference between nucleophilicity and basicity? Great, great question. First
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 moreReagent Friday: TsCl (p-toluenesulfonyl chloride) and MsCl (methanesulfonyl chloride)
In a blatant plug for the Reagent Guide, each Friday I profile a different reagent that is commonly encountered in Org 1/ Org 2. A friend
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