Getting started
Getting startedHow to study organic chemistry (and actually understand it)How to study organic chemistry so it makes sense: learn the functional groups, think in electrons, draw mechanisms by hand and practise in the right order.Getting startedOrganic vs inorganic chemistry: the differenceOrganic vs inorganic chemistry: what counts as an organic compound, why CO₂ and carbonates are exceptions, and how bonding and properties compare.Getting startedFunctional groups in organic chemistry: list, names and structuresAll the organic functional groups you need, from alkenes and alcohols to esters, amides and nitriles, with structures, name endings and how to tell them apart.
Structures
StructuresHow to draw organic structures: skeletal, condensed and 3DHow to draw organic molecules: molecular, condensed, displayed and skeletal formulas, wedges and hashes, and the drawing mistakes students make most.StructuresHow to draw resonance structuresHow to draw resonance structures: which electrons can move, the rules for valid contributors and how to pick the major one, with worked examples.
Naming
NamingHow to name alkenes and alkynes (IUPAC)Step-by-step IUPAC naming of alkenes and alkynes: choosing the chain, numbering, locants, dienes, enynes and E/Z, with worked examples.NamingHow to name organic compounds (IUPAC naming step by step)How to name organic compounds with IUPAC rules, step by step: main group, parent chain, numbering and prefixes, with a priority table and worked examples.NamingNaming esters, amides and other carboxylic acid derivativesHow to name esters (alkyl alkanoate), amides and N-substituted amides, acyl chlorides, anhydrides and nitriles, with worked examples and common mistakes.
Mechanisms
MechanismsSN1 vs SN2 vs E1 vs E2: how to decideA simple way to predict whether a haloalkane reacts by SN1, SN2, E1 or E2, from the substrate, the nucleophile or base, the solvent and the temperature.MechanismsHow to draw curly arrows in organic mechanismsThe rules for drawing curly arrows in reaction mechanisms: where arrows start and end, full vs half arrows, and the five patterns behind most mechanisms.MechanismsMarkovnikov's rule explainedWhat Markovnikov's rule says, why it works (carbocation stability), worked examples with HBr and water, and when you get anti-Markovnikov products.
Reactions
ReactionsOrganic chemistry reagents cheat sheetA one-page list of common organic reagents and what they do: oxidising and reducing agents, bases, nucleophiles, and reagents for alkenes, carbonyls and benzene.ReactionsTypes of organic reactions, with examplesThe main types of organic reactions with examples and mechanisms: substitution, addition, elimination, condensation, hydrolysis, redox and acid–base.
Stereochemistry
StereochemistryE/Z vs cis/trans isomers explainedWhen to use cis/trans and when to use E/Z, how to rank groups with the CIP priority rules, and examples where cis is not the same as Z.StereochemistryHow to assign R and S configurationAssign R or S to a stereocentre in four steps using the Cahn–Ingold–Prelog priority rules, with the wedge trick, the swap trick and worked examples.StereochemistryHow to identify chiral centres (stereocentres)How to find chiral centres in a molecule: the four-different-groups test, comparing similar groups, rings, and counting the possible stereoisomers.StereochemistryEnantiomers vs diastereomers: how to tell them apartEnantiomers vs diastereomers vs meso compounds: a quick R/S test to tell them apart, a worked example, and how their physical properties compare.StereochemistryMeso compounds: what they are and how to spot oneWhat a meso compound is, how to spot its internal mirror plane, why it is achiral and optically inactive, and how it changes the stereoisomer count.StereochemistryFischer projections: how to draw them and assign R/SHow to read and draw Fischer projections, assign R and S straight from the cross, which rotations and swaps are allowed, and what D and L mean.StereochemistryNewman projections and conformations of butaneHow to draw a Newman projection, the staggered, eclipsed, gauche and anti conformations, and the energy diagram for rotating butane's C2–C3 bond.StereochemistryCyclohexane chair conformation: axial, equatorial and ring flipsThe cyclohexane chair: axial and equatorial positions, ring flips, why big groups prefer equatorial, and which disubstituted chair is more stable.
Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy¹H NMR splitting and the n+1 ruleHow to read splitting in ¹H NMR: the n+1 rule, Pascal's triangle, common patterns like the ethyl quartet and triplet, and why OH peaks are singlets.SpectroscopyIR spectroscopy table and how to read a spectrumThe IR absorptions you need for organic chemistry (O–H, N–H, C–H, C≡N, C=O, C=C, C–O) with typical wavenumbers, peak shapes and a method for reading spectra.Spectroscopy¹³C NMR chemical shift table and how to use itA ¹³C NMR chemical shift table, how to count carbon environments using symmetry, and worked examples of identifying a compound from its spectrum.SpectroscopyMass spectrometry: molecular ion, fragments and M+2 peaksHow to read a mass spectrum: the molecular ion, base peak, M+1 and M+2 peaks for Cl and Br, common fragment m/z values and worked examples.
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