Does Org Chem 1 apply principles from Gen Chem?

[medworm]

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Is Organic Chemistry 1 dependent on the advanced principles from General Chemistry 1 & 2? If so, which topics?

The reason I ask this question is that I want to be fully prepared for Organic Chemistry this fall. My Gen Chem is rusty and I'm wondering what areas I should brush up on. I took Gen Chem over the summer and aren't sure if I'm adequately prepared.

Thanks so much!

 

[Code Brown]

The only things that you want to look over are acids, bases, lewis dot structures and maybe VSEPR. You will probably review everything else that you need to know. Good luck.

 

[gaf]

hybridization and trends across the periodic table (e.g., electronegativities) come to mind

 

[Bones2008]

No not really, unless you count the periodic table of elements. You'll use very little of your gen chem knowledge in orgo. Don't worry about it, and definitely don't ruin the remainder of your summer by stressfully studying gen chem.

 

[OnMyWayThere]

All of the above mentioned and some rate laws and stuff. No biggie, because they're chapters in the book and it almost seemed like they were teaching it as if you've never seen it b4.

 

[medworm]

Thanks everyone! What about the lab? How's that different? 😳

All of the above mentioned and some rate laws and stuff. No biggie, because they're chapters in the book and it almost seemed like they were teaching it as if you've never seen it b4.

 

[TwoLegacies]

i took gen chem a few years back and had about a 2 year break (from chem anyway). then i took the first semester of ochem. the first two chapters of my book went over all i needed to know from gen chem-- VSEPR theory, MOs, etc. i think it will depend on your prof-- my prof also reviewed gen chem for the first week or two, but focused on only that which applied to organic. molecular structure is extremely important and if you have a good understanding of it, that will help you A LOT. so reviewing isn't a bad idea but you might get some review from your class anyway. as for the lab, i had no problem (and let me tell you, my gen chem is beyond rusty at this point). anyhoo, good luck!

 

[blankguy]

I'm studying ahead on organic chemistry which I'm going to take in the fall. It seems the first 4 chapters the biggies seem to be nomanclature and functional groups. Dam they play tricks with functional groups presenting structural formula in every odd angle imaginable. 😡

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

Agreed...molecular structure seems to be the most important thing to know. You will probably go over it in class, but it doesn't hurt to have a good grasp on it. If you understand that well, orgo will be a little easier to grasp, and problems a bit more intuitive.

Not to go off topic, but I always thought organic chemistry was a bit of a misnomer. While I can see how it is chemistry, it was considerably different thatn gen chem, and I thought it emphasized different skills. Where as gen chem you could succeed by studying a bunch of formulas and cramming for exams, o chem you actually had to be able to understand and apply concepts a lot more. And if you could understand and apply the basic concepts, o chem was not as hard as many people will tell you.

 

[!dr_nick!]

Thanks everyone! What about the lab? How's that different? 😳

Organic lab is the most exciting lab you will have in college. If you like to sit and watch chemicals reflux for two hours. And then watch as all of the compound you are trying to seperate evaporates away in the air, and then start over.

Oh btw, try not to blow yourself up with the ether.
And dont drink the ethanol.

 

[!dr_nick!]

And if you could understand and apply the basic concepts, o chem was not as hard as many people will tell you.

I agree. O chem is the most overhyped class ive come across, in terms of difficulty. If you can do electron shifts and understand why mechanisms work the way they do, it is easy. The only real effort is memorizing mechanisms (again, easier if you understand them) and reagents for synthesis.

 

[synapse lapse]

Resonance structures are what I think the most important things are to remember. Just remember how to do those and VSPR theory and you're fine. Orgo was nothing like gen chem. You could take it without gen chem and still do fine.

 

[imsotired]

You don't need to study yet. Save that for during the semester.

 

[1viking]

Man, it drives me nutz when people talk about memorizing O-Chem. You need to know electron pushing and resonance like it was your best friend. There are some name reactions that you need to memorize, but there is so much chemistry that has no name. I would say you should have an arsenal of about 15 name reactions. Outside of that, it is electrophile vs. nucleophile. O Chem is like latin, there are set rules that must be followed. Learn the rules, and you will be prepared for any situation. Nomenclature was 10% of my classes, 10% of each of the tests for both classes. Don't think that you will succeed if you can name it. I found that if you have a good imagination, you can figure out the chemistry.
On another note, I would recommend that you take from a tough teacher. I got B's in both my classes, but I scored in the 95th percentile on the ACS. It paid huge dividends on the MCAT. I aced all of my o-chem questions. I didn't even have to read the passages, cause I already knew what was going on.

 

[Medikit]

Le Chatlier's is a good one to be familiar with.

 

[Smilescali]

How many of you have taken Gen Chem 2 and Ochem 1 in the same semester? If you did how was it?

 

[45408]

Organic lab is the most exciting lab you will have in college. If you like to sit and watch chemicals reflux for two hours.

Hahaha, this is true. My lab started out with procedures like that.

And dont drink the ethanol.

No, that's the good stuff! Don't drink the METHANOL.

 

[TTSD]

The order of things in life

Physics
/ \
Biology - Chemistry

*Ochem fits in there somewhere, I'm still not sure where

Hell, when you're taking ochem you think "I think this will be important for biochem" and when you take biochem, you use ochem for like a whole whopping two chapters.

Therefore, 90% of ochem is useless to you for the rest of your education, like chemistry and physics. You'll be asked to memorize a whole bunch of inane stuff that you won't need unless you decide to become a chemist or biochemist.

General chemistry offers a good foundation of principles that is applicable to a wide range of subjects, same with Physics though a lot of it is really busy work.

So to answer your question, yes. Principles apply. Equations, etc.. no.

 

[oudoc08]

Know pKa, Le Chatliers principle, basic acid/base, etc.
I hated Gen Chem I and II (esp. II), liked Organic I, and was rather indifferent about Organic II.

Organic is a nice break from math-intensive Gen Chem II. The only absolute requirement to doing well in Organic is that you must be able to at least somewhat visualize things in 3-D, (and be able to draw lines)

 

[CD]

Don't worry! O-chem uses very little gen chem. Only a few principles such as pKa's etc are used. It would probably be more helpful to you, to just start in on O-chem during the summer! ...that way you would SEE what areas need a review.

When I took o-chem, I worked through the first terms assignments during the summer. By the time I started classes, I had completed all the assignments and only had to do a review before each quiz/test/ect.

Personally I found o-chem to be MUCH easier than gen chem, and I fell in love with it! In fact, after my year in o-chem, I decided to enter graduate school and gain a graduate degree in organic chemistry! (I defend on the 23rd of this month! YEAH!)

 

[medworm]

Amazing that your instructor prenotified you on what the assignments are(usually they don't announce the textbooks or syllabus until the 1st class) and that someone (in this case you) actually likes OCHEM! 😀

Don't worry! O-chem uses very little gen chem. Only a few principles such as pKa's etc are used. It would probably be more helpful to you, to just start in on O-chem during the summer! ...that way you would SEE what areas need a review.

When I took o-chem, I worked through the first terms assignments during the summer. By the time I started classes, I had completed all the assignments and only had to do a review before each quiz/test/ect.

Personally I found o-chem to be MUCH easier than gen chem, and I fell in love with it! In fact, after my year in o-chem, I decided to enter graduate school and gain a graduate degree in organic chemistry! (I defend on the 23rd of this month! YEAH!)

 

[Garuda]

If you've had general chemistry before, then it's OK to take organic chemistry, even if you're general chemistry is rusty. The relevant parts will come back to you.

I would not, however, recommend taking organic chemistry without having first taken general chemistry, or even taking them concurrently.

 

[CD]

Yup! I contacted the instructor in the middle of the summer (e-mail) and she gave me her web site which had all the assignments/etc. posted on it.

....and what's not to love? (our class had SIX students in it, so we received personal attention and help with the course. THAT made the class easy and fun!) By the time we finished the year, ALL of us had received 90% or better on the ACS organic exam. THAT is quite some statistic!

Amazing that your instructor prenotified you on what the assignments are(usually they don't announce the textbooks or syllabus until the 1st class) and that someone (in this case you) actually likes OCHEM! 😀