gen chem vs. ochem

[Institute]

so here I sit studying for my gen chem 2 final and it's really making me hate chem. I got a taste of ochem in the middle of the semester when our prof when over some functional groups and what not and I really enjoyed it. So my question is (in anticipation for ochem1 in fall), what from gen chem carries over into ochem so I can better prepare myself for the coming semester? I have heard that issues such as hybridization and MO theory frequently pop up in ochem - but that's only what I've heard.

I've also heard that ochem requires a different mode of thinking. What mindset do a lot of you put yourselves in when tackling concepts in ochem?

Thanks for the suggestions/help/flames in advance

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[bluesTank]

so here I sit studying for my gen chem 2 final and it's really making me hate chem. I got a taste of ochem in the middle of the semester when our prof when over some functional groups and what not and I really enjoyed it. So my question is (in anticipation for ochem1 in fall), what from gen chem carries over into ochem so I can better prepare myself for the coming semester? I have heard that issues such as hybridization and MO theory frequently pop up in ochem - but that's only what I've heard.

I've also heard that ochem requires a different mode of thinking. What mindset do a lot of you put yourselves in when tackling concepts in ochem?

Thanks for the suggestions/help/flames in advance

The main things are:

Acids and Bases (determining acidity etc), Hybridization of orbitals and stuff like that (sp sp2 sp3 etc) as well as things like lewis dot structures. Bonding types, aka intermolecular bonding influences. Some kinetics.
Thats what I can come up with off the top of my head

 

[Doc Henry]

What you heard about ochem is pretty accurate. It's been over a year since I finished mine so i can't really remember details but I do remember that its TONS of mechanisms.

I found ochem to be easier than gen chem for me. In fact, after ochem I really understood gen chem better.

That being said; it is a lot of memorizations and it is kind of like learning a language. It will seem very foreign at first, but just keep pushing and it will all click.

GOOD LUCK

 

[Green Pirate]

I totally feel your pain, OP. I had my gen chem 2 final on friday...hardest test I've ever taken

 

[Institute]

I totally feel your pain, OP. I had my gen chem 2 final on friday...hardest test I've ever taken

Ya, I'm sitting here hating some of kinetics and some of chem equilibrium right now.

 

[Doctormo24]

I just finished my first semester of organic and I found out that I enjoyed that more and understood it more than gen chem. I actually did a lot better in organic then gen chem.

 

[Vvandenn]

So how much math does ochem have in it?

 

[DrBowtie]

So how much math does ochem have in it?

Very little.

 

[Doctormo24]

So how much math does ochem have in it?

i think the most math we did was adding and subtracting

 

[Inuranic]

Organic chemistry > General chemistry, hands down.

Orgo rocks.

 

[munnabhai]

Orgo fails.

Rather, I fail orgo. As much as I hate acids and bases, memorizing mechanisms is horrible.

 

[bluesTank]

It seems bad at first, but at some point, it will all "click". Once you get the hang of it, writing all those mechanisms and stuff becomes second nature.

 

[TheGreatHunt]

Depends on who you have for OChem. It depends on what kind of facility you will be expected to have with your material. The Gen Chem I have been exposed to during OChem has been very brief, and no amount of review was given. I doubt highly that any OChem professor would spend much more than 10% of the first semester devoted to anything involving Gen Chem.

Semester II, I doubt you'll get more than two lectures that include Gen Chem as a main component, while you could be asked to regain instant clarification on pKa pH and pKb etc...

This is my experience with OChem though. It seems that PChem has more in common with Gen Chem than does OChem.

 

[ncguy2005]

I had my chem 2 final this past thursday. It was a lot harder than expected, especially since we had a huge half reaction problem that was backwards from the way we did them in class.

Our chem professor briefly talked about what to expect in our organic class. He said we'd never need a calculator, and to never take it during the summer because the people he's dealt with that have had to relearn it again when preparing for the MCAT... 5 weeks is a short period of time to learn 16 weeks worth of organic chemistry.

sorry this was a little off topic.

 

[On3H34rT]

I too just finished Gen Chem II and it was extremely difficult for me. From what i hear, Orgo is less math than Gen Chem, but more memorization and actually applying the information..

 

[Vvandenn]

Yeah my gen chem II final is tomorrow...I've been studying all weekend. I wish there was a cliff around here so I could throw myself off of it.

 

[Neil45]

I also took the general chemistry 2 final two weeks ago. It was murder. I dropped from an A to a B+ in the course because of that exam. It's unfortunate because I had an A+ in general chemistry 1.

 

[NexusMD]

I dunno if I am unique in my approach to Orgo or not but heres how I am looking at it.

Orgo to me is not memorizations. Its about learning the patterns of the mechanism. I think of it like a logic class I had. If you can see the patterns you'll be fine.

As for gen chem, it all depends on your professor. I did really well in my gen chem class, and I felt like I understood the material fantastically. I was so amazed that everything just clicked.

As for things that are needed for orgo, i'd also try to remember resonance a little bit too. Acid/Base, resonance, MO theory, and Lewis dots are good. Also learn how to draw organic structures (just the lines w/o letters). That'll help you start off well.

 

[Hershi]

my chem2 final is in 10hours. . . . I want to burn my book at the moment . ugh!

 

[Arc]

Repeating Gen Chem 1 right now, after dropping last semester. Have like a C- the last time I checked, but I have yet to turn in all my lab work, and ~40% of my grade is still up for grabs.

 

[Arc]

As for things that are needed for orgo, i'd also try to remember resonance a little bit too. Acid/Base, resonance, MO theory, and Lewis dots are good. Also learn how to draw organic structures (just the lines w/o letters). That'll help you start off well.

Thats the part that I aced so far in chem...

 

[jojocola]

What set me back for o-chem was that i didnt memorize the pka's. Pay special attention to those .

 

[thoffen]

I dunno if I am unique in my approach to Orgo or not but heres how I am looking at it.

Orgo to me is not memorizations. Its about learning the patterns of the mechanism. I think of it like a logic class I had. If you can see the patterns you'll be fine.

As for gen chem, it all depends on your professor. I did really well in my gen chem class, and I felt like I understood the material fantastically. I was so amazed that everything just clicked.

As for things that are needed for orgo, i'd also try to remember resonance a little bit too. Acid/Base, resonance, MO theory, and Lewis dots are good. Also learn how to draw organic structures (just the lines w/o letters). That'll help you start off well.

I agree completely.

I'd also add that a good qualitative understanding of thermodynamics and kinetics is very helpful. Actually, Org I really cemented my understanding of thermo and kinetics; it was only good enough to get the calculations right, but now it is quite intuitive.

 

[Revilla]

I just took Chem II and Organic I at the same time this spring. At my school, there was very little overlap beyond acid/base stuff and resonance. I found Organic to be much more interesting than Gen Chem and it wasn't really difficult if you understand the concepts and try not to memorize everything.

As others have said, the math you'll use in Organic is very basic. I think all we did was subtraction and simple division to find double bond equivalents once we got to NMRs towards the end of the semester. You won't need a calculator or even scratch paper.

 

[Green Pirate]

I also took the general chemistry 2 final two weeks ago. It was murder. I dropped from an A to a B+ in the course because of that exam. It's unfortunate because I had an A+ in general chemistry 1.

wow that's a shame. I think I might drop down from an A to a B this semester because of the final too... unless the instructor decides to show some mercy--that asshat.

 

[paranoid_eyes]

genchem is a billion times more interesting than orgo. but then again, if you actually ENJOY learning (memorizing) functional groups, you just may like orgo.

*how you can enjoy learning about aldehydes and amides is completely beyond me

 

[Bacchus]

My orgo (I don't like the sound of O-chem) professor was amazing. He focused a lot on concepts and applied them to both the medical and practical world. It also helped that he'd tell us rediculous stories about his grad years and what not to do in lab. Overall, I found orgo to be more enjoyable than general chemistry. If I do not get into medical school, I will more than likely pursue something in the field of organic chemistry. Its not as bad as people make it out to be. Everyone at my school made it seem horrible and I pulled an A- last semester and an A this semester. You'll be fine, keep up to date with your work.