Atomic Hybridization & Molecular Orbitals What is Atomic Hybridization? It's often said that carbon is special because it can form four bonds. It does so by orbital and atomic hybridization. While that is true of carbon, other atoms can certainly form four bonds. The important distinction is that carbon forms four strong, stable bonds. On the...
Tips for Studying Organic Chemistry Studying Organic Chemistry is Fun, Full of Danger (and some annoying stuff) but you can and WILL do it! It's that time of year again. You are probably either just starting or continuing your ongoing battle studying organic chemistry. Here are some things that will ensure your success...
Chemical Solutions to Life on Earth Ramesh Raliya, Washington University in St Louis and Pratim Biswas, Washington University in St Louis. Chemical solutions to life on Earth. With the world's population expected to exceed nine billion by 2050, scientists are working to develop new ways to meet rising global demand for food, energy...
The Flipping Chair Chair Cyclohexane Conformers (Chair-Boat-Chair Interconversion) You should expect some variant of the following question: Draw the most stable conformational isomer of trans-1,4-diethylcyclohexane. So far you've looked at the energy diagrams of molecules in different shapes or conformations using what are known as Newman Projections. This is n-butane in its most stable conformation. The...
SN2/SN1 E2/E1: The Simplest Method Identifying Classes of Substitution and Elimination You are in Organic 1 and are learning about alkyl halides. These substrates have sp3 carbons bearing good leaving groups. Your job is to get these off of the molecule in the correct way. You can therefore 1) replace the leaving group and substitute it...
Multi-Step Synthesis Multi-step synthesis is a process used in organic chemistry to create complex molecules from simpler ones through a series of individual chemical reactions. This process is crucial in the creation of many life-saving drugs, as well as many other organic compounds. Multi-step synthesis typically begins with a simple molecule that...
Philosophy of Organic Chemistry (Pt.II) The Philosophy of Organic Chemistry Science on the whole itself has a philosophy behind it and it is enormous. The philosophy of organic chemistry isn't so vast, so be glad. As mentioned in an earlier post, philosophy is a general term that refers to any logical approach to get...
The Working Memory Model and Organic Chemistry To new students, organic chemistry is a mysterious and notorious subject among college students most of whom have a desire to enter the science fields or pre-professional programs like medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, engineering, materials science, nanotechnology and so on. The Working Memory...
Why is Organic Chemistry Difficult? Organic chemistry has multiple dimensions and just ask this question to any number of students who've taken it and you'll hear all different sorts of answers. You may hear that they loved the class, they were fortunate there was a curve, or far more often, a litany of...
Is Organic Chemistry Necessary? Who Asks That Question Most? The question of whether organic chemistry is necessary (or to what extent it is necessary) for certain courses of study arises all the time. Which students complain about this most and why? Those who mostly wonder about the need for organic chemistry are often prospective candidates for professional...
