The Ups and Downs of Cyclohexanes
Drawing cyclohexane chair forms can be a tricky business. While it’s often intuitive to pick out which groups are up and down when they’re axial
Read moreIntroduction to Oxidative Cleavage Reactions
The four posts on acid-base, substitution, addition, and elimination covered the 4 main reactions in organic chemistry I. In this second series of posts we go beyond these to introduce a
Read moreExploring Resonance: Pi-acceptors
Resonance In Organic Chemistry: What Are “Pi Acceptors” Last time we saw that π donors are atoms capable of forming a new π bond with
Read moreIn Summary: Evaluating Resonance Structures
The Four Key Factors In Evaluating Resonance Structures Not all resonance forms are of equal importance. So how do we evaluate how “important” each resonance
Read moreThe Most Annoying Exceptions in Org 1 (Part 1)
One of the common complaints you hear a lot from people learning English is that there are just so many exceptions. The plural of “goose”
Read moreTable of Functional Group Priorities for Nomenclature
How To Determine Which Functional Group Has “Priority” For Naming Purposes Here’s a little nomenclature dilemma. Let’s say you’re trying to name a molecule. You’re
Read moreThe Most Annoying Exceptions in Org 1 (Part 2)
Last time we talked about how some interesting electronic effects can lead to unexpected results in organic chemistry. Today we look at three examples of
Read moreCarbonyl Chemistry: Learn Six Mechanisms For the Price Of One
So at some point during Org 2, you will probably be expected to learn a whole slew of mechanisms. Like these: Conversion of carboxylic acids
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