
Over the years, students have asked me what should they do to get prepared for their organic chemistry class. So - I decided to create my own introduction to organic chemistry videos.
What you'll learn in this video...
- Organic chemistry is simply lines (bonds) and letters (atoms)
- What are functional groups
- What are reaction schemes
- What is the most important chemical bond
- The key to organic chemistry
Now that you have a better understanding of what to expect when you get into your class, let's look at what you'll see on you exams.
What you'll learn in this video...
- The Top 3 Questions on every organic chemistry exam
- What your professor will be looking for in each one
- Learn about a 4th question that you'll see as you get farther along in your class
Alrighty my friends... now it's time to start doing some organic chemistry!
We are all familiar with the periodic table. It is that big poster on the wall that has lots and lots of letters on it. But - did you know that it like your hidden "cheat sheet" to help you do organic chemistry? Well, let's see how it can help you in your class.
What you'll learn in this video...
- An easy trend to help you learn electronegativity
- The key to unlocking the power of the periodic table
- How to use the periodic table to build molecules
- How to use the periodic table to figure out the charge on each atom
- Which atoms can have multiple bonds
If you understand this video, you can figure out any reaction question!
Any reaction you learn in organic chemistry is based on 2 things - a nucleophile and an electrophile. If you can find these 2 things, you will master this class!
What you'll learn in this video...
- Learn what these 2 things are
- Learn how to spot your nucleophile and electrophile
- How changing the number of bonds changes the charge
- Learn to think about "positive" and "negative" charges
- How to use electronegativity to find your nucleophiles and electrophiles
- How to apply this to functional groups
During a tutoring session a few years ago, I wanted to find a better way to explain resonance. And what I came up with was "The Rule of 3."
What you'll learn in this video...
- The basic 1-2-3 setup
- How to use this with positive and negative charges
- How to use this with lone pairs
- Where you will always find your charges
- How to properly use arrows to show the movement of electrons
Remember the nucleophile and electrophile video?
Well, let me show you how to apply those awesome tips to your functional groups.
What you'll learn in this video...
- How to determine if your functional group is a nucleophile, electrophile or both
- The 3 main ways you can draw organic structures
- How to use electronegativity to figure out how the functional groups will react
- How to use carbocation stability to determine reactivity
- How bonds can be broken into a positive and negative charge
The top two things most students say are..
There are so many reactions and there are so many reagents!
We now know form the the nucleophile and electrophile video that we really only need to know one reaction. So - what about all the reagents?
There are many reagents. However, they can be broken down into 4 specific categories.
What you'll learn in this video...
- How to put all the reagents into 4 categories
- How each category will help you know what it will "do" in the reaction
- How some functional groups and reagents tend to "stick together"
- Learn about my phrase "Turn the BASE ON"
The reaction scheme is the basis of organic chemistry. You can think of it as "the sentence structure for organic chemists."
Now, this is what's cool...
I found a way to break it apart so anyone can know exactly where to focus.
What you'll learn in this video...
- How to figure out what is most important
- Where these patterns come from
It's time to apply what we learned in "The Rule of 3" video!
What you'll learn in this video...
- How to use the "1-2-3 system" and extend it to more atoms
- How to determine the number the resonance structures without needing to draw them
- How to use the "1-2-3 system" on both acyclic and cyclical systems
Alrighty my friends...it's time to apply everything we learned! Let's get to it!
What you'll learn in this video...
- How to use all the tips in this course to become an OChem Rock Star!
Let me know if any of this sounds familiar...
Organic Chemistry – It’s a weed-out course, many students fail, you will fail, it’s hard, it’s time consuming, it’s complicated, you won’t like it, good luck (with sarcasm), you won’t have a life, you may have to take it again, it will wreck your GPA, it may keep you out of medicinal school…and on and on.
The story we hear about something dramatically influences how we see and experience something.
Now, I want to share with you a different story about organic chemistry. And this story is backed up by years of teaching the material.
Organic chemistry is simple and easy to learn. There is a very effective and direct way to learn the material that allows you to start using it immediately. No matter where you are in the class, there are simple and effective ways to immediately increase your understanding and grade.
Since I began teaching in 1998, I have been working on creating the simplest and most effective way for anyone to learn organic chemistry. And this course is what has come out of those efforts.
Well, let’s not waste anymore time...Let’s get to it!
Look forward to helping you excel in organic chemistry!
Dr. J