Organic Chemistry Study Guides
Notes on every organic chemistry topic you have to know for each organic chemistry textbook. These include Mayya's tips and tricks to make organic chemistry easy and fun!
Organic Chemistry by William H. Brown, Brent L. Iverson, Eric Anslyn , Christopher S. Foote Study Notes
Chapters:
1: Covalent Bonding and Shapes of Molecules 6 :Reactions of Alkenes
2 : Alkanes and Cycloalkanes 7: Alkynes
3: Stereoisomerism and Chirality 8: Haloalkanes, Halogenation, and Radical Reactions
4 :Acids and Bases 9: Nucleophilic Substitution and beta-Elimination
5 : Alkenes 10: Alcohols
11: Ethers, Epoxides, and Sulfides 12: IR
13: HNMR 14: Mass Spectroscopy
15: Organometallic Compounds 16: Aldehydes and Ketones
17: Carboxylic Acids 18: Functional Derivatives of Carboxylic Acids
19: Enolate Anions and Enamines 20: Dienes, Conjugated Systems, and Pericyclic Reactions
21: Benzene and the Concept of Aromaticity 22: Reactions of Benzene and Its Derivatives
23: Amines
Need more help? Our veteran Organic Chemistry Tutor is ready to help you ace your class!
Atoms and Molecules
Learn how to calculate charges of atoms in a molecule. This is usually tested on the first organic chemistry test.
Drawing correct resonance structures is one of the most important skills for students to master. Resonance is useful in both first and second semesters of organic chemistry.
Hybridization allows students to correctly determine the bond angle of the atom. It is usually tested on the first organic chemistry test, along with drawing correct Lewis Dot structures.
Learn how to name alkanes and cycloalkanes by using a step by step method.
Chairs are most stable forms of cyclohexanes. Learn how to correctly draw the two chair forms and predict the most stable chair structure for a cyclohexane.
Learn how to predict the structure of a molecule based on the HNMR graph.
Learn how to identify constitutional isomers also called structural isomers.
Learn how to understand and draw Newman projections.
Stereochemistry
Chiral centers are also called stereo centers, chiral carbons, and stereogenic carbons. Learn how to identify a chiral center.
Chiral Versus Achiral Molecules
Chiral molecules are molecules whose mirror image is non superimposable. Learn how to determine whether a molecule is chiral or achiral using Mayya's chart.
R and S describe the configuration of a chirality center. Learn how to assign priorities to the four groups connected to the chiral carbon and determine the correct configuration.
Enantiomers are molecules that are non superimposable images of one another. Diastereomers are nonsuperimposable non mirror images. Sounds complicated? Learn Mayya's tricks and tips on how to easily recognize the relationship between the molecules and how to correctly draw enantiomers and diastereomers.
Meso molecules are molecules that have chiral centers and yet are achiral due to the presence of the plane of symmetry. Learn how to recognize meso molecules.
Substitution and Elimination Reactions
SN1 and SN2 are nucleophilic substitution reactions. Learn how to recognize each reaction and how to predict the product with the correct stereochemistry.
E1 and E2 are elimination reactions that result in the production of a double bond. Learn the mechanism of each reaction and how to predict the product of E1 and E2.
SN1/SN2/E1/E2
Use Mayya's chart to figure out how to predict which reaction to do!
Alkene Addition Reactions
Complete Guide to Alkene Reactions
In this guide, we will learn a simple way of predicting the product for the following reactions: epoxidation, oxymercuration, hydration, halogenation, halohydration, hydroboration, hydrogenation, ozonolysis, addition of HX and many more.
Alkynes Reactions
Double elimination is used to synthesize alkynes. Learn more about the reagents and starting materials needed.
Learn how to predict the products of acetylide ions reacting with alkyl halides and carbonyl groups.
Learn how to predict the products of alkyne reactions.
Alcohol Synthesis And Reactions
Learn all of the different ways to synthesize an alcohol using alkene addition reactions, organometallic reactions, and reducing agents.
Learn all of the alcohol reactions including Williamson ether synthesis, oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols, and making alcohols into good leaving groups.
Ethers And Epoxides
Learn reactions that produce ethers including Williamson ether synthesis and alcoxymerucation/
Learn how to cleave ethers using HBr and HI.
Synthesis And Reactions of Epoxides
Learn reactions that make epoxides such as peroxyacid epoxidaiton and base promoted cyclization of halohydrins. Learn epoxide reaction including acid and base catalyzed epoxide opening, reactions of epoxide with organometallic reagents, and reaction of epoxides with lithium aluminum hydride.
An Introduction to Organometallic Compounds
Learn how to synthesize Grignard and Organolithium reagents and the reactions that they undergo. Learn about organocuprate reagent (Gilman reagent) and the reactions with it. Finally, learn about carbenes and carbenoids.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (HNMR and CNMR)
Complete Guide To HNMR including shift, splitting, integration and number of signals
Infrared Spectroscopy (IR)
Complete Guide To IR including characteristic frequencies for functional groups
Radical Reactions
Radical Reactions And Their Mechanisms
Learn the reagents and how to predict the products of the following reactions: Radical Halogenation Of Alkanes, Allylic Halogenation and Radical Addition Of HBr to Alkenes.
Dienes And Allyl Systems
Electrophilic Addition to Conjugated Dienes
Learn how to predict the products of 1,2 and 1,4 electrophilic addition to conjugated dienes
Learn how to predict the products and stereochemistry of Diels-Alder reaction
Aromaticity And Benzene
Aromaticity: How To Determine Aromatic, Nonaromatic, Antiaromatic
Learn how to determine if the molecule is aromatic, nonaromatic and anti aromatic according to 4 rules including Huckel's rule.
Learn how to draw and understand Frost Circles.
Learn how to predict the products and write the mechanisms of benzene reactions.
Aldehydes and Ketones
Synthesis of Aldehydes and Ketones
Reactions of Aldehydes and Ketones
Carboxylic Acids
Complete Guide To Carboxylic Acid Synthesis And Reactions
This guide includes: Carboxylation of Grignard reagents, Conversion of Nitriles into Carboxylic Acids, Reduction of carboxylic acids, Fischer Esterification, Esterification Using Diazomethane, Decarboxylation, Conversion to Acid Chlorides, Alkylation Of Carboxylic Acids To Form Ketones.
Carboxylic Acid Derivatives
Complete Guide to Carboxylic Acid Derivatives Reactions
This guide includes: reactions of acid chlorides, esters, anhydrides and nitriles.
Condensations and Alpha Substitutions Of Carbonyl Compounds
Complete Guide to Condensations and Alpha Substitutions of Carbonyl Compounds
This guide includes: Alpha halogenation, Aldol condensation, Claisen condensation, Malonic Ester synthesis, Acetoacetic Ester synthesis, Conjugate Addition to alpha,beta-Unsaturated Carbonyl Compounds (Michael), decarboxylation, alpha alkylation