Organic Chemistry 1 - 1 session
Organic Chemistry 1 Syllabus
Organic Chemistry 1 focuses on the structure, properties, and reactivity of carbon-based molecules. It shifts away from the heavy calculations of General Chemistry and emphasizes 3D visualization, patterns of reactivity, and the "mechanisms" of how bonds break and form.
Unit 1: Structure, Bonding, and Acids/Bases
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Atomic Orbitals: Review of sp3, sp2, and sp hybridization and molecular geometry.
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Resonance: Drawing and evaluating the stability of resonance contributors.
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Organic Acids and Bases: Using pKa values to predict the direction of equilibrium and understanding how structure affects acidity.
Unit 2: Alkanes and Cycloalkanes
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Nomenclature: Mastering the IUPAC system for naming complex organic chains.
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Conformational Analysis: Using Newman projections to analyze rotation around carbon-carbon bonds (staggered vs. eclipsed).
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Ring Strain: Understanding the stability of cycloalkanes and the "chair" conformation of cyclohexane.
Unit 3: Stereochemistry
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Chirality: Identifying chiral centers and molecules that are mirror images (enantiomers).
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R/S Configuration: Applying priority rules to label the 3D orientation of atoms.
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Diastereomers and Meso Compounds: Understanding molecules with multiple chiral centers.
Unit 4: Substitution and Elimination Reactions
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SN2 Reactions: Bimolecular nucleophilic substitution (one-step, "backside attack").
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SN1 Reactions: Unimolecular substitution involving a carbocation intermediate.
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Elimination (E1 and E2): How bases remove atoms to create double bonds (alkenes).
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Regioselectivity: Predicting the major product using Zaitsev’s Rule.
Unit 5: Alkenes and Alkynes
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Addition Reactions: Adding H2, X2 (halogens), and H2O across pi bonds.
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Markovnikov’s Rule: Predicting where substituents will add based on carbocation stability.
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Oxidation and Reduction: Hydroboration-oxidation, ozonolysis, and hydrogenation.
Unit 6: Alcohols, Ethers, and Epoxides
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Synthesis: Converting alkyl halides and alkenes into alcohols.
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Reactivity: Using alcohols as nucleophiles or converting them into better leaving groups (tosylates).
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Epoxide Ring-Opening: Analyzing how ring strain drives reactivity in cyclic ethers.
Unit 7: Spectroscopy and Structure Determination
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Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy: Using light to identify functional groups (like C=O or O-H bonds).
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Mass Spectrometry: Determining molecular weight and fragmentation patterns.
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Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR): Mapping the carbon-hydrogen framework of a molecule.