CHEM 351 CONTENT GUIDE

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Chemistry 351 is an introduction to organic chemistry and spectroscopy, discussing the fundamental concepts required to understand organic chemistry based on a mechanistic approach. This will involve discussing bonding and molecular structure and the implications these have on the properties and reactivity of organic molecules.

The lecture topics covered in approximate order (subject to change) are shown below:

Language of organic chemistry (what do all the arrows, words, diagrams mean and how do you use them)
Bonding : ionic, covalent, polar covalent bonds, dipoles etc.
Lewis structures and formal charges
Curly arrows (IMPORTANT !)
Resonance (IMPORTANT !)
Bond properties (energies, lengths)
VSEPR (shapes of molecules)
Introduction to MO theory (orbitals in molecules = where the electrons are)
Hybridisation simple molecules, hydrocarbons and other functional groups
Hydrocarbons : types alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, arenes
Isomer types.... Constitutional isomers
Acidity and basity (e.g. pKa trends)Intermolecular forces and physical properties
Thermodynamics = stability : heats of combustion, heats of formation, heats of reaction etc.
Oxidation states in organic systems.

Radical substitution reactions of alkanes to give alkyl halides.
Radicals (structure and properties)

Spectroscopy : Infra red, H-NMR, C-NMR, UV, MS : problem solving

Overview of the 6 general mechanistic families (this covers 99% of the reactions we discuss !)
Nucleophilic substitution reactions of alkyl halides and alcohols
SN1 mechanism
Carbocations (structure and properties), carbocation rearrangements
E2 mechanism
Alkenes : stability based on heats of hydrogenation etc.
Applications of reactions to synthesis
Alkenes from elimination reactions of alkyl halides and alcohols
Alkynes from elimination reactions

Conformational analysis : terminology
Conformations of alkanes and cycloalkanes