Alcohols (1) – Nomenclature and Properties
Alcohol Nomenclature, Properties, and Structure In this next series of posts we are going to discuss the reactions of alcohols. As a functional group, alcohols
Read moretertiary
Bond Dissociation Energies = Homolytic Cleavage
Here’s a point which causes a lot of confusion. Look at these two reactions. What do you think is the stronger bond, O-H or C-H?
Read more3 Factors That Stabilize Free Radicals
What Factors Affect Free-Radical Stability? In the last post we introduced free radicals – neutral, electron-deficient chemical species with a partially filled orbital – and
Read moreBond Strengths And Radical Stability
Bond Strengths And Radical Stability The last two posts have discussed factors which stabilize – and destabilize – free radials. So how do we quantify
Read moreThe E1 Reaction
The E1 Reaction – Three Key Pieces of Evidence, and a Mechanism Last time in this walkthrough on elimination reactions, we talked about two types
Read moreTwo Types of Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions
Comparing Two Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions That Clearly Have Different Mechanisms Chemistry is an experimental science. There is no great Ramanujan of our discipline, who, starting
Read more3 Factors That Stabilize Carbocations
Three Factors That Affect Carbocation Stability Three main factors increase the stability of carbocations: Increasing the number of adjacent carbon atoms: methyl (least stable carbocation) <
Read morePrimary, Secondary, Tertiary, Quaternary In Organic Chemistry
Organic chemists, with carbon chemistry as their subject, have developed all kinds of shorthand phrases to describe structures and phenomena that might otherwise take a
Read more