The SN1, E1, and Alkene Addition Reactions All Pass Through A Carbocation Intermediate
The Carbocation Intermediate That Connects The SN1, E1, And Alkene Addition Reactions Was going to include this in my last post but it was getting
Read moreelimination
What makes a good leaving group?
Good Leaving Groups Are Weak Bases A leaving group (a.k.a. “nucleofuge”) is the new Lewis base that is generated in various substitution and elimination reactions when
Read moreReagent Friday: TsCl (p-toluenesulfonyl chloride) and MsCl (methanesulfonyl chloride)
TsCl (p-toluenesulfonyl chloride) And MsCl (methanesulfonylchloride) As Reagents In Organic Chemistry In a blatant plug for the Reagent Guide, each Friday I profile a different reagent
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
Read moreLevels of Mastery
Here’s an idea I’ve been playing with: levels of mastery. Growing up with video games, it’s an idea that is intuitively familiar, but not often
Read moreHow Reactions Are Like Music
One of the joys of this video is watching the reactions of the audience as it is revealed that song after familar song – from
Read moreThe Most Annoying Exceptions in Org 1 (Part 2)
Last time we talked about how some interesting electronic effects can lead to unexpected results in organic chemistry. Today we look at three examples of
Read moreAll About Enamines
Enamines – formation, properties, reactions, and mechanisms. Enamines are formed from the reaction of a secondary amine with an aldehyde or ketone. Because they have
Read moreBreaking Down Carbonyl Reaction Mechanisms: Reactions of Anionic Nucleophiles (Part 2)
Continuing from Part 1, today I’ll cover the remaining 3 classes of mechanistic pathways for the reactions of anionic nucleophiles with carbonyl compounds, using the
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