General Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry I Together

[nataliea2013]

Hello,
I am thinking of taking General Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry I (only lecture) at the same time in Fall 2014. Do you think it is doable?
I know you are supposed to finish gen chem before taking ochem, but my school computer system does not block from registering ochem with gen chem II.
Has anyone taken those two classes together? How was it?

Thanks,

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[el_duderino]

Does your school not list Gen Chem II as a pre-req for Orgo I?

I say go for it if you think you can handle it. There might be some info in gen chem 2 that you need for orgo (electron orbitals and that sorta thing) but if you're halfway decent at self-learning you can pick up what you need to pick up by looking ahead in your gen chem 2 book or watching some Coursera/Khan Academy videos.

 

[The Chemist]

Hello,
I am thinking of taking General Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry I (only lecture) at the same time in Fall 2014. Do you think it is doable?
I know you are supposed to finish gen chem before taking ochem, but my school computer system does not block from registering ochem with gen chem II.
Has anyone taken those two classes together? How was it?

Thanks,

1. Unless you are a chemistry genius...don't. Even if the Gen Chem 2 knowledge is not directly foundational for Orgo 1, Gen Chem 2 will really help you think better as a chemist. That is a lot of info at once. Most people find Gen Chem II much harder than Gen Chem I. The same people find Orgo I much harder than Gen Chem II. Don't get too eager because you got an A in Gen Chem I or a 5 on the AP exam. Better to take things slow and not risk screwing up your GPA.

Trust me...I graduated from a top 20 chemistry department with highest honors and I was a TA for 4 semesters for Gen Chem and Orgo. I would have done poorly if I took Gen Chem 2 and Orgo 1 together.

2. Even if your school computer system does not block you, if Gen Chem is a prereq then you risk a honor code (or whatever your school's policy is) violation. Check the specifics for your school. At my school, you could easily be put on one semester probation for such a stunt.

Again trust me...I was on my school's judicial council.

Sorry to be so blunt, but I hope this helps you achieve your dream of becoming a MD! =)

 

[el_duderino]

I got a 5 on the Chem AP exam in 1999, then didn't take another chemistry class until Orgo 1 in 2012. Absolutely zero problem. Very little of what I learned in AP chem really applied to orgo except the really fundamental stuff which became obvious on review.

I really don't think it's that big a deal. It's not like I'm some super chemistry-genius or something.

 

[23premes]

Lol at you guys giving advice. Only thing you need from gen Chem 2 for Ochem is acid/base chemistry. Very simple. Many schools don't require gen chem 2 for Ochem 1 so it shouldn't be a problem. Seriously, you aren't gonna be using much gen chem 2 in Ochem.

 

[Doctor Dream]

Lol at you guys giving advice. Only thing you need from gen Chem 2 for Ochem is acid/base chemistry. Very simple. Many schools don't require gen chem 2 for Ochem 1 so it shouldn't be a problem. Seriously, you aren't gonna be using much gen chem 2 in Ochem.

I think the point other posters were making was that taking gen chem II and orgo I at once is a lot of content at one time. You're right, there isn't a ton of overlap, but taking both courses together could be hazardous. I personally wouldn't want to take both at the same time if I could avoid it.

OP you could take both now, you don't need to worry about taking Ochem without gen chem II. If you think you can handle it, go for it. Just a warning though, at my university both classes were a lot of work, I'm not sure how well I would have done if I took both at once.

 

[Frostbite22]

When I was in undergrad I failed chem 2 and didn't want to be behind in the sequence and so retook it along with Orgo. It was pretty much new material because I only really went to the first part of chem 2 for about a month before not going again. It went fine together, but I also took easier classes when I took them. I think a writing course, and two gen eds.

So I definitely think you can do it as long as your schedule isn't too hectic.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

It depends on the person. They are vastly different courses. I never really saw them as part of a "sequence." If you study effectively, efficiently, and often you'll be fine.

 

[nataliea2013]

Hi!
Thank you all for taking your time to leave your advice and thoughts! I appreciate each of your comment! I am a chem major and I love chemistry, so I was kind of confident taking gen chemII and ochem I together. But I do not want to violate the school policy, so I'll talk to ochem professor if I still want to take those at once.

 

[z_maverica]

Yep, take gen chem II and ochem I together. Smartest move you'll ever make.

 

[deleted577188]

You'll be fine. Gen Chem 2 is of similar difficulty as Physics IMO. Taking physics + o chem seems pretty normal for about half of the pre-med population. Therefore I think you're okay. Also they have nothing to do with each other at all. You don't have to know a single thing from gen chem to succeed in o chem. O chem helped me understand gen chem better than the reverse.

 

[Azete]

I always thought O-Chem should be offered before Gen Chem. It would make sense that you would learn how electrons move before learning inorganic reactions. Most of the Gen Chem stuff didn't even make sense to me until I took O-Chem.

Example:
Gen Chem - "Why the **** do I need to know about electronegativity values?"
O-Chem - "Ohhhhhhhh....."

 

[chemist16]

Gen Chem - "Why the **** do I need to know about electronegativity values?"
O-Chem - "Ohhhhhhhh....."

Doesn't this contradict your argument though? If Orgo was offered first, then you wouldn't know about electronegativity values and the professor would have to waste time going over a basic concept that was taught in gen chem.

I always thought O-Chem should be offered before Gen Chem. It would make sense that you would learn how electrons move before learning inorganic reactions. Most of the Gen Chem stuff didn't even make sense to me until I took O-Chem.

Not sure what kind of inorganic reactions you're talking about, but inorganic reactions involved more orbitals than Orgo ever does. When you start getting into four- and six-coordinate species, it's difficult to keep track of whether ligands coordinate or not based on the filled/vacant orbitals of the metal center. Reactivity is also determined by d-electrons on the metal and so is bonding/backbonding, etc. The orbital stuff you learned in Orgo is really basic and trivial compared to inorganic reactions.