How to Study OChem

[54807]

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I will be taking first semester OChem in the Fall and would like to know how to study for the class or any tricks people had during it. I didn't study at all in HS and I've had to learn out to study now in college, but I don't think I'm quite at the level to ace Ochem yet.

Any advice on what I can start memorizing over the summer? I've been told there are 10 base molecules or something like that. People say I should learn them and their properties. I don't have a tremendous amount of time over the summer but I will set aside some time if you have some recommendations.

Thanks for your time if you respond.

 

[GoGatorsDMD]

IMO:

Orbitals, different bonds occupy different ones

Electronegativity.

***Acid-base chemistry. What factors determine acidity or basicity

Orgo is all based on who is willing to give up or accept electrons or H+

 

[unlvdmd]

The only thing that worked for me was just to memorize. I had no idea what the hell I was memorizing, I just spit it back out on the exam. If I had to answer and essay question about explaning the process... couldn't do it. I just memorized the electron pushing and the other stuff. Memorization is the name of the game if you just wanna pass (I got a B). Aceing it is a different story. But I took my B and got a ticket to Dental School. That's all I care about in the end!!

 

[dexadental]

I aced ochem 1 and 2...got A's in both and heres what u do:
-sit in the front of the class everyday and become good friends with the professor (this helps actually...but I was also pretty interested in this stuff)
-rewrite the entire book, and include the diagrams in your notes.

At the end of ochem 1, my binder was exploding, and I had bought one of those huge ringed binders...I had the LG Wade book...its really quite easy to understand. I would'nt go about memorizing if you want an A., learn the stuff, cuz its really not that hard, just TIME CONSUMING.

 

[Yellow-Jellow]

There are some stuff that I found so easy like bonding, nomenclatures , molecular recognitions , just memorize them .But the worst thing u'll finde is mechanisem reactions , I didnt like them at all.....good luck!!

 

[dinesh]

Organic chemistry is easy.
I always find it better to understand what's going on rather than memorizing, that way when i get thrown a curve ball I don't miss.

Mechanisms on the other hand are just plain memorizing and regurgitating.
Again try making some sence of it😉

 

[UConn_SDM]

Mechanisms on the other hand are just plain memorizing and regurgitating.

Not really. I loved orgo and really started to understand it to the point where I could look at something new (never taught) and be reasonable correct about the mechanism of reaction.

At first you memorize because you have no choice but by second semester I think it should be clicking and making sense.

The DATs were a joke. I didn't study for the orgo part at all and 2 years after taking orgo I could just figure out the answer without much thought. I did really well on that section. I think I did well because I really understood orgo and didn't just memorize.

 

[JeanetteYu]

Organic chemistry isn't all that hard. I thought doing synthesis problems were the toughest. Mechanisms on the other hand was pure memorization for me.

 

[eapleitez]

I think a good head start is to look into what gogators said, but you can also look into nomenclature and learning carbonyl functional groups. Machanisms do start to make sense when you see where the dipole charges are at. Get ready to study your ass off.

 

[DDS:)]

Start learning and knowing all the functional groups first!!

 

[bor0000]

i think the best is to have a great prof. one that gives such notes that you can copy them on graph paper and understand all the reactions... i find this teacher is great for orgchem2- http://cool.mcgill.ca/2004-WINTER/222-WINTER/ but i am only listening the 2nd part of the course, havent tried the 1st, and i really like how he explains the reactions. i also have for ochem2, from a different teacher, a practice final which has like 100 questions or so for the rxn mechanisms, mostly.

 

[hokiedds]

I aced both semesters of organic and my advice is to just be prepared to work very hard. I did nearly every problem in the book, many of them twice. Organic is not a difficult subject, and like most things in life, if you want to do well all it takes is being willing to work hard. Best of luck to you.

 

[bor0000]

hey i need help with orgchem
1) the acidity of ketones and aldehydes is supposedly slightly less than of alcohols(and water). yet -OH, in the aldol condensation rxns and in haloform rxns can remove alpha hydrogens, why?
2) tell me the mechanism for the following decarboxylation:
a 5-carbon ring system with =0 on 1 carbon and C00CH3 on the 2nd arbon, also called Beta-ketoester. When treated with H+/H20 it goes into the 5 ring system with a double bond and an OH group. Then it trivially goes into cyclopentanone. But i'd like the mechanism for how it reaches the double bond and an OH group. i.e. how it loses the CO2.

thanks.

 

[DrTacoElf]

Mechanisms on the other hand are just plain memorizing and regurgitating.
Again try making some sence of it😉

This is only partially true and for the SIMPLE cases. Once you get really good you can predict - that is the key to A's IMO. 🙂

 

[rcdrach]

Organic is really not that hard. It is very time consuming and in order to get an A you will have to push other classes aside, but you will be fine if you study every night and make notecards. If you want to get a head start I would suggest memorizing the functional groups and understanding resonance. Also, organic is all about understanding the mechanisms. I constantly did the problems in the back all semester, and didn't study much for my final (got a B). You'll be fine if you study.

 

[54807]

I just want to thank everyone for their advice and hope I can get even more advice from future readers of the post.

Thanks

 

[dane4695]

Simple Answer: Kaplan

If you memorize everything they have to offer, and MAYBE look at some online flash cards (dang I wish I had the link for you -- search this site it's where I got it originally) you'll be fine. Such a straight forward section.

 

[GP to be]

I will be taking first semester OChem in the Fall and would like to know how to study for the class or any tricks people had during it. I didn't study at all in HS and I've had to learn out to study now in college, but I don't think I'm quite at the level to ace Ochem yet.

Any advice on what I can start memorizing over the summer? I've been told there are 10 base molecules or something like that. People say I should learn them and their properties. I don't have a tremendous amount of time over the summer but I will set aside some time if you have some recommendations.

Thanks for your time if you respond.

I'm in the same position. I just bought "Organic Chemistry as a Second Language" by David Klein. I've heard a lot of pre-med/pre-dent people say it helped them a lot with OChem I. I haven't gotten too far yet, but it seems to be easy enough to understand. You can get it at Barnes & Noble for $18.

 

[drkt]

Once you get the mechanisms and functional groups down, you'll be fine. If you have a really good understanding of the basic mechanisms, you'll be able to predict what a lot of other reactions will do. I learned the mechanisms by using colored pencils and tracing where the protons (and other stuff) went in each reaction. I know it sounds kindergartenish, but by being able to follow the protons through the reaction, i got a really good understanding of where they would go as the reactions got more complicated. Hope this helps! Good Luck!

 

[DaveinDallas]

Get the book - Pushing Electrons - and use it as a companion. You can do chapters 1 and 2 before OChem to get your head together with regard to lewis structures and resonance theory.

Although I aced both semesters of OChem, I wish I would have had this book while I was going through it. I'm going through it now just for grins (and because I like OChem) and it's really solidifying some of the big picture concepts which leads me to understand some of the small stuff also.

I've also heard of, but haven't grabbed, Organic Chemistry as a 2nd Language.

As far as studying OChem - Sit in front, make good friends with the prof, have a good understanding of orbitals and lewis structures, make sure your study group studies and doesn't just socialize (a good way to do that is to assign a topic to each person that they have to present to the group). For me, reading the book really helped also.

O Chem is fun in a twisted distorted kind of way....