A study Guide For Organic Chemistry

Chapter 1

- The structural theory.

- Chemical bond and octet rule.

- Lewis structure.

- Exceptions to the octet rule.

- Representation of structural formulas, bond line, dash, 3-D.

Chapter 2

- Hydrocarbons: alkanes, alkenes,alkynes.

- Naming of alkyl groups. Functional groups and families of organic compounds.

- Physical properties and molecular structure.

Chapter 3

- Heterolysis cleavage of covalent bond.

- Acids and bases, strength of acids and bases: Ka and pKa.

- Predicting the outcome of acid-base reactions.

- The effect of electronegative atoms, inductive effects, and hybridization on acidity.

Chapter 4

- Constitutional isomers

- Naming alkanes, alkyl halides, alcohols, and cycloalkanes.

- Naming alkynes and alkenes.

- Physical properties of alkanes and cycloalkanes.

- Sigma bonds and bond rotation.

- Conformation stability of ethane (staggered-eclipsed).

- Conformation of butane.(anti-eclipsed-gauche)

- Conformation of cyclohexane (boat, chair)(ring strain).

- Axial and equatorial substitution on cycloalkanes and their relative stability.

Chapter 5

- Constitutional isomers, diastereomers, enantiomers, chiral, achiral, meso compounds.

- The biological importance of chirality.

- Naming compounds with more than one stereocenter.

- Fischer projection formula.

- Stereoisomerism of cyclic compounds and their derivatives.

Chapter 6

- Mechanisms of recations: addition, elimination, substitution, and rearrangement..

- Cleavage of double bonds, carbocations and carboanions.

- Nucleophilic substitution reactions of alkyl halides: nucleophiles, leaving groups.

- Sn2 mechanism (energy diagram, transition state, and intermediate).

- Stereochemistry of Sn2.

- SN1 mechanism.

- Structure of carbocation, relative stability of carbocations.

- Stereochemistry of Sn1.

- Factors that affect Sn1, Sn2.

- Organic synthesis using Sn2 and Sn1.

- E2 and E1 mechanisms

- Substitution vs. elemination

Chapter 7

- Naming of alkenes and cycloalkenes, cis-trans and E-Z system.

- Naming of alkynes.

- Relative stability of alkenes.

- Cycloalkenes.

- Synthesis of alkenes and Zaitsev's rule.

- Stability of carbocations and molecular rearrangements.

- Synyhesis of alkynes.

- Acidity of terminal alkynes and their reactions.

- Hydrogenation of alkenes and alkynes.

- Syn-anti additions to alkenes and alkynes.

Chapter 8

- Aditions to alkenes; HX, H2SO4, H2O, X2 (Markovnikov's rule).

- Addition of HX and X2 to alkynes.

- Oxidative cleavage of alkynes.

Chapter 10

- Radical reactions.

- Homolytic bond dissociation energies and relative stability of radicals.

- Reaction of alkanes with halogens (chain reaction).

- Halogenation of higher alkanes (selectivity of bromine).

- Stereochemistry of halogenation.

- Radical addition to alkenes (anti-Markovnikov).

- Radical polymerization of alkenes.

- Other important radical chain reactions (autoxidation, ozone depletion).

Chapter 11

- Naming of alcohols, phenols, and ethers.

- Properties of alcohols and ethers, the H-bond.

- Synthesis of alcohols, from alkenes, and carbonyl compounds.

- Reactions of alcohols (the acidity of alcohols).

- Alkyl phosphates and alkyl halides from alcohols.

- Synthesis of ethers.

- Reactions of ethers.

- Epoxides, the reaction of epoxides by ring opening.

- Anti hydroxylation of alkenes via epoxides.

Chapter 13

- Conjugated dienes and allylic substitution.

- Stability of allylic radical and carbocation, resonance structure.

- Drawing of resonance structures and their stability.

- Alkadienes and addition reactions of dienes.

- The Diels-Alder reaction.

Chapter 14&15

- Structure and stability of benzene ring, meaning of aromaticity.

- Naming aromatic compounds.

- Reactions of aromatic compounds (electrophilic aromatic substitution):

- Halogenation

- Nitration

- Sulfonation

- Friedel-crafts alkylation and acylation.

- Orientation of reactions on substituted aromatic rings.

- Oxidation and reduction of aromatic rings.

- Organic synthesis.

Chapter 16

- Nomenclature of aldehydes and ketones.

- Synthesis of aldehydes and ketones.

- Nucleophilic addition to the carbon-oxygen double bond:

- water addition (gem-diols)

- alcohol addition (acetal, hemiacetal and ketal, hemiketal)

- Oxidation of aldehydes and ketones.

Chapter 18

- Nomenclature of carboxylic acids.

- Why carboxylic acids are more acidic than alcohols.

- The conductive effect on acidity.

- Preparation of carboxylic acids.

- Synthesis and reactions of carboxylic acid derivatives. ( acyl chloride, acid anhydride, ester, amide).

- Decarboxylation of carboxylic acids.

Chapter 20

- Nomenclature of amines, arylamines, and heterocyclic amines.

- Basicity of amines.

- Preparation of amines: - Nucleophilic substitution.

- Reduction of Nitro and amide compounds.

- Reduction of aldehydes and ketones.

- Reactions of amines: - as nucleophiles.

- reaction with nitrous acid (HNO2) to form nitroso compounds.