How many O3 resonance structures can be drawn? How many O3 resonance structures can be drawn? The answer is simple: two. Briefly, if you follow the octet rule, you will see the oxygen atoms are connected linearly, where the central oxygen atom is always positively charged, and the terminal oxygen atoms are either negatively charged …
How many O3 resonance structures are there? [with study guide & diagrams] Read More »
SN1 vs SN2. Is it SN1, SN2, E1, E2? This is such a common question, not only for students but on exams too. How do you tell if it is SN1 vs. SN2? How the heck do you tell the difference between an E1, E2, SN1, SN2 reaction? Check out the chart below to start. …
SN1 vs SN2. E1, E2, SN1, or SN2? [with printable chart] Read More »
Newman projection practice problems When looking at Newman projection practice problems, there are a few areas that we need to make sure that we emphasize so you see the entire range of problems that might appear on an exam. First however, we should do a brief review on Newman projections. To see a full review …
Newman Projection Practice Problems [with free book] in 2022 Read More »
If you haven’t noticed by now, carbon is the most important atom in the organic chemistry world. It is all about carbon chemistry. Here’s a hint: if it doesn’t have carbon in it, it is most likely not an organic molecule. Carbon is the basis of everything in this class. In some cases carbon will …
Electrophilic Addition: 2022 Edition Electrophilic addition: Just like in football, it is easy to say that one of the players is the most important one in the game. But they all play an important part, and electrophiles are one of those important parts. While many (nerdy) organic chemists could have a robust debate over a …
Electrophilic Addition and Electrophiles: What makes a good electrophile? Read More »
Some of your professors will try to sneak this one in on you during an exam: Your professor will ask you to synthesize the symmetric diol shown below and you will either not know how or you will come up with a convoluted, difficult or wrong answer. JUST REMEMBER: Symmetric diols came from the Pinacol reaction. While …
Organic Chemistry Help: Symmetric diols from the Pinacol reaction Read More »
Happy New Year! It has been a while since we have put a new organic chemistry post up, so I thought I would put a little guide up now that finals are over. The question is: How did you decipher an H1 NMR spectrum? Well, here is a good, uniform way to tackle …
Organic Chemistry Help: Deciphering an NMR [with study guide] Read More »
Organic Chemistry Rules: Never violate these!! Disclaimer: This posting applies to Undergraduate organic chemistry. This does NOT apply to crazy physicists who create all sorts of insanity in a laboratory that cannot exist outside a xenon forcefield. In organic chemistry, like in life itself, there are rules. Some of them (known as the “always/never” rules) should never be violated, …
Organic Chemistry rules: Always, sometime, never. Read More »
Alkene reactions Alkene reactions are great because a double bond in organic chemistry gives you all sorts of way to add on to the molecule and create a bunch of different products. The chemistry works because there is a ton of electron density within the pi bonds of the double bond. Since sigma bonds are …
Emil Fischer is considered by many to be the greatest organic chemist to ever live. His problem was that he created a way of looking at organic molecules that is very confusing to undergraduates. These structures are necessary to learn and are very helpful when looking at certain molecules (such as carbohydrates), but they are …
