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!
In this post, we will discuss how to predict the product of Diels–Alder reactions. The key idea is that you are forming two new σ bonds between the diene and the dienophile in a single step, so you need to … Read more
In this post, we will discuss the reactivity and specifics of the diene and the dienophile in the Diels-Alder reaction. First, a reminder that the Diels-Alder reaction is a type of pericyclic reaction between a conjugated diene (two double bonds) … Read more
Electrophilic addition to a conjugated diene can give two regioisomeric products. For example, the addition of HBr to 1,3-butadiene gives a mixture of 3-bromobut-1-ene and 1-bromobut-2-ene: The products of these reactions are always formed as a mixture, but … Read more
The mechanism of electrophilic addition to dienes is similar to what we learned in the addition reactions of alkenes. The difference here is that there are two double bonds, and the question you may start wondering about is: “Which of … Read more
Before we go into the details of the structure and stability of allylic carbocations, let’s first define what the allylic position is and compare it with the vinylic, benzylic, and phenyl positions. The allylic position is the carbon atom adjacent … Read more
In today’s post, we will mainly focus on conjugated dienes and some of their unique properties. So, first, what are dienes? These are compounds that possess two C=C double bonds. The classification of denes is based on the proximity of … Read more
Alcohols can be oxidized into a variety of carbonyl compounds depending on the nature of the alcohol and the oxidizing agent used. Secondary alcohols can only be oxidized to ketones, while primary alcohols are oxidized to aldehydes and carboxylic acids, … Read more
You have learned and seen in general and organic experimental sections that compounds can be separated using techniques such as filtration, distillation, crystallization, etc. On the basis of all these techniques is the fact that the compounds have different physical … Read more
Why do you think the following Grignard reaction is impossible to carry out without having a protecting group on the alcohol? What is even a protecting group? These are the questions we are going to address in today’s article. … Read more
The main difference of the Grignard reaction compared to everything else you learn in the reactions of alcohols is that it is another way of making a new C-C bond and extending the carbon chain of the molecule. The most … Read more
