1. Learn the functional groups first
Every reaction is about a functional group. If you can't look at a structure and say "that's an ester, that's an amine", nothing else will stick. Spend your first week here: names, structures, and what each one looks like in skeletal form. See the functional groups list.
2. Think in electrons, not reactions
Almost every polar reaction is a nucleophile (electron-rich: a lone pair or a π bond) attacking an electrophile (electron-poor: a δ+ carbon or a positive charge). Before you try to remember a reaction, ask three questions:
- Where are the electrons? Find lone pairs, π bonds and negative charges.
- Where is the electron-poor site? Find δ+ carbons (next to O, N or a halogen), C=O carbons and carbocations.
- What leaves? Look for a stable leaving group: a halide ion, water, or a carboxylate.
Then draw the curly arrows. If you can draw the arrows, you don't need to memorise the product. See how to draw curly arrows.
3. Draw everything by hand
Reading a mechanism is not the same as being able to draw it. Cover the page, draw it from the starting materials, then check. Do this for every mechanism on your syllabus until you can do it without looking. Skeletal structures are faster to draw and are what exams expect: see how to draw organic structures.
4. Group reactions by what they do
Don't learn reactions in the order your textbook lists them. Group them: substitutions, eliminations, additions, carbonyl reactions, redox. Then make a reaction map: functional groups as boxes, reagents on the arrows between them. The map is what you need for synthesis questions. See types of organic reactions and the reagents cheat sheet.
5. Practise retrieval, not rereading
Rereading notes feels productive but doesn't build memory. Testing yourself does. Use flashcards for reagents and conditions, spaced out over days, and do problems before you feel ready. The questions you get wrong are the ones worth your time.
6. Learn the spectroscopy routine separately
Spectra questions follow a fixed routine (mass spectrum for the molecular mass, IR for functional groups, NMR for the carbon skeleton), so they're some of the most learnable marks on the paper. See the IR table, ¹H NMR splitting, ¹³C NMR shifts and mass spectrometry.
A weekly routine that works
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| After each lesson | Redraw every new mechanism from memory, the same day. |
| Twice a week | 10 minutes of flashcards: reagents, conditions, named reactions. |
| Once a week | Update your reaction map. Do two or three mixed problems. |
| Before a test | Timed past-paper style questions, then fix the topics you got wrong. |
Quick answers
Is organic chemistry hard?
It is hard if you try to memorise every reaction. It becomes much easier once you learn the functional groups and see each reaction as a nucleophile attacking an electrophile. Most students find it gets easier after the first few weeks.
Should I memorise organic reactions?
Memorise the reagents and conditions, because those can't be worked out. Don't memorise products: if you can draw the curly arrows, you can work out the product.
How long does it take to learn organic chemistry?
For a school or first-year course, most students need a few weeks to get comfortable with functional groups and mechanisms, then steady weekly practice. Regular short sessions work better than long ones before exams.
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