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’ve already learned what alkanes are, their structure, how they’re named, and you probably even remember the first ten representatives (methane through decane). Now, if we take any alkane and replace one of its hydrogen atoms with a … Read more
You are wondering about this question because you have started talking about naming organic compounds by using the IUPAC rules. Yes, that is the beginning of organic chemistry, so you don’t want to get behind in these topics. Now, to … Read more
Acetals are organic compounds in which a carbon atom is bonded to two alkoxy groups (-OR). They don’t look much like a carbonyl compound, so why do we need to talk about them in the chapter on aldehydes … Read more
Nucleophilic Additions to the Carbonyl Group In this chapter on aldehydes and ketones, we begin to see a new type of mechanism originating from the polar nature of the C=O carbonyl bond. When we say “different,” that is mainly compared … Read more
We have seen in many examples how Grignard and organolithium reagents react with various carbonyl compounds such as aldehydes, ketones, esters, and more. So, let’s discuss what happens when we react a Grignard or organolithium reagent with carbon dioxide. Although … Read more
In this post, we’ll talk about a common question you encounter in organic chemistry tests and exams. How do you know if the alkyl halide or a similar substrate will react by SN1 or E1 mechanism? This dilemma is one … Read more
Both alkynes and alkenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons, and this unsaturation is the result of having a π bond in the molecule. One π bond is one degree of unsaturation, as the molecule can add one hydrogen molecule, and two π … Read more
In this article, we will summarize and compare the reactions of Grignard (RMgX), Gilman (R2CuLi), and organolithium (RLi) reagents. Let’s first see what unites and makes their properties similar or at least creates a pattern for us to predict the … Read more
This content is for registered users only. Click here to Register! By joining Chemistry Steps, you will gain instant access to the answers and solutions for all the Practice Problems, including over 40 hours of problem-solving videos, Multiple-Choice Quizzes, Puzzles, Reaction … Read more
This content is for registered users only. Click here to Register! By joining Chemistry Steps, you will gain instant access to the answers and solutions for all the Practice Problems, including over 40 hours of problem-solving videos, Multiple-Choice Quizzes, Puzzles, Reaction … Read more
