Common Mistakes: Formal Charges Can Mislead
Sometimes The “Formal Charge” Does Not Accurately Represent The Electron Density Around An Atom! Formal charges have their plusses and minuses. Har har. In many
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Introduction to Acid-Base Reactions
Following up on the 4 major classes of reactions you encounter in Org 1, let’s look at the first of those four: acid base reactions.
Read moreCurved Arrows (for reactions)
Curved Arrows: The Accounting System For Electron Movement If you think of electrons as the currency of chemistry, reactions are transactions of electrons between atoms.
Read moreA Key Skill: How to Calculate Formal Charge
How To Calculate Formal Charge To calculate the formal charge of an atom, we start by: evaluating the number of valence electrons (VE) the neutral
Read moreHow To Use Electronegativity To Determine Electron Density (and why NOT to trust formal charge)
How To Determine Partial Charges Last time we talked about how electrons are the “currency” of chemistry and every reaction is a transaction of electrons
Read moreIntroduction to Resonance
Introduction To Resonance Last time we talked about how to use electronegativity to find the electron densities in a molecule – and when to ignore
Read moreHow To Use Curved Arrows To Interchange Resonance Forms
Curved Arrows And Resonance Structures Previously in this series on resonance, we saw that resonance forms represent two (or more) different ways to draw the
Read moreEvaluating Resonance Forms (1) – The Rule of Least Charges
Evaluating Resonance Forms – The Rule Of Least Charges So far we’ve introduced resonance, and introduced the curved arrow formalism to show the movement of
Read moreMaybe they should call them, “Formal Wins” ?
In April of this year, Braves reliever Luis Avilan came in with a 5-1 lead in the 8th inning. Eight batters later, he’d given up
Read more7 Factors that stabilize negative charge in organic chemistry
Understanding The 7 Key Factors That Stabilize Negative Charge (And Ultimately, Basicity) Like I wrote about in a previous post, it’s good – but not
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