In this next series of posts we are going to discuss the reactions of alcohols. As a functional group, alcohols are introduced fairly early in organic chemistry. Their reactions, however, are usually not covered until near the end of Org 1 - at least after subjects like substitution and … [Read more...]
Polar Protic? Polar Aprotic? Nonpolar? All About Solvents
A lot of students I talk to have questions about solvents, so I've decided to put together a reference post on them. Solvents can cause considerable confusion in reactions, because they're listed along with the reagents of a reaction but often don't actually participate in the reaction itself. … [Read more...]
3 Trends That Affect Boiling Points
Now available - Download this awesome (free) 3-page handout on how to solve common boiling point problems. With 10 examples of solved problems! (Also contains all the key points discussed in this post) MOC_Boiling_Point_Handout (PDF) Figuring out the order of boiling points is all about … [Read more...]
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 examples are alcohols, amines, carboxylic acids, ketones, and ethers. In a typical sophomore organic chemistry course, … [Read more...]
The Four Intermolecular Forces and How They Affect Boiling Points
Properties like melting and boiling points are a measure of how strong the attractive forces are between individual atoms or molecules. (We call these intermolecular forces - forces between molecules, as opposed to intramolecular forces - forces within a molecule. ) It all flows from this … [Read more...]
Keto-Enol Tautomerism: Key Points
Aldehydes and ketones are somewhat lycanthropic chemical species. Take acetone. It behaves as a garden-variety polar aprotic solvent, which makes it a useful medium for SN2 reactions; it reacts readily with nucleophiles like enolates, Grignards, and amines; and is several pKa units less acidic … [Read more...]