The only way of mastering any topic in Organic Chemistry is doing lots of practice problems. And I know, seeing my students, that starting to work on a practice problem may be the hardest part as you don’t know where to start. It is difficult to visualize what where the double bond would be moved if you follow the five curved arrows crammed in one step. Here is the trick:
We are always told to think before doing something. Fair enough. But let me tell you, it is also strangely enough, that in Organic Chemistry, it is often better to draw and then think about what you did (not in the lab though). It is much easier to have a structure in front of you and check for errors and improvements.
Do the first step, take the pencil and you will see that the ball gets rolling.
You have all these Organic Chemistry Practice Problems waiting to be solved!
You have mastered the concept of resonance structures, can draw valid resonance transformations, and now all you hear is “that is a significant resonance structure” or “that is not a significant resonance structure.”So, what are significant and non-significant resonance structures? … Read more
Halonium ions are structures where a halogen atom is connected to two alkyl groups: In your organic chemistry class, you are only going to worry about a specific type of halonium ion where the halogen is part of … Read more
A very common exam question in the chapter of Acids and Bases is to ask for the most acidic proton in a molecule or when comparing two molecules. So, how do we do this?If you have already covered and … Read more
Carbocations are electron-deficient species, as the carbon atom is surrounded by only three bonds with no lone pairs. Remember, the standard bonding pattern of carbon is 4 bonds with no lone pair: So, how can we stabilize the … Read more
This comprehensive set of practice problems on Stereochemistry includes questions on determining R and S configuration, R and S configuration in Fischer and Newman projections, and determining the relationship between molecules such as enantiomers, diastereomers, and constitutional isomers. There are … Read more
Let’s first describe what a strong base and a strong acid is in the simplest words: A strong acid, if we are talking about a protic acid and not a Lewis acid in general, is one that has no problem … Read more
Resonance structures are different Lewis structures of the same molecule, which means they represent the same molecule/ion with different electron distributions. To keep all the atoms in place but move electrons around, the molecule must have a pi (π) bond. … Read more
We have learned that resonance structures are different Lewis structures of the same molecule. In other words, they are different ways of drawing the same species. So, what does “different” refer to if they represent the same species? The term … Read more
We learn in General Chemistry that the octet rule states that atoms tend to form bonds in such a way that they are surrounded by eight electrons in their outer (valence) shell. It is a great rule, of course, but … Read more
At the beginning of your organic chemistry journey, you’re told a golden rule: carbon likes to have four bonds. This is true almost all the time. Why almost? Because you should never draw a carbon with more than four bonds. … Read more
