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Chapter 5: Pushing Curly Arrows |  |
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Chapter 5: Pushing Curly Arrows | |
Learning Objectives:
Summary
"Curly arrows" or "curved arrows" are how organic chemists communicate
and "think" about mechanisms.
The ability use curly arrows is probably the single most important skill or tool
for simplifying organic chemistry.
Understanding how to use curly arrows allows you to appreciate how organic chemistry works since the arrows show how reactions proceed and this helps remove the need
to memorise reactions.
Curly arrows show how the electrons and therefore how the bonds are reorganised. Reorganising bonds implies a reaction has taken place.
Curly arrows should "talk to you" ! Looking at a set of curly arrows literally tells you all the bonding changes, both breaking and forming that happen in a particular step of a reaction sequence.
| Study Tip: Many students struggle with organic chemistry because they never master curly arrows and so miss out on the important information they are trying to tell you. |
Problems
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© Dr. Ian Hunt, Department of Chemistry |  |