How to study organic rxns?

[student1982]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi, I'm planning to take the test soon but I'm having trouble dealing with the rxns. In the past I resorted to memorizing them but unfortunetely it was only useful for short term memory. Now I'm paying the price because I had to go through the whole book again. Anyway, do yall have any advices on studying them? I need to do it the right way now since I will be taking orgo 2 this fall. Whats the best way to classify them? By sn2,e2 then e1&e2? then carboanion? Then there some other ones that I can't pin point in which category they are. anyway thanx in advance for the help.

 

[fancymylotus]

Hi, I'm planning to take the test soon but I'm having trouble dealing with the rxns. In the past I resorted to memorizing them but unfortunetely it was only useful for short term memory. Now I'm paying the price because I had to go through the whole book again. Anyway, do yall have any advices on studying them? I need to do it the right way now since I will be taking orgo 2 this fall. Whats the best way to classify them? By sn2,e2 then e1&e2? then carboanion? Then there some other ones that I can't pin point in which category they are. anyway thanx in advance for the help.

I put every kaplan organic rxn on flashcards and do those everynight. Also, I make new flashcards for the rxns that I get wrong on each practice test. I guess the overlap and repetition helps(a lot).

 

[Uracil]

My Organic Chemistry professor always said the key to Organic rxns was "RETENTION BY REPETITION" 😉 -Retention by repetition 👍

 

[thehipster]

I put every kaplan organic rxn on flashcards and do those everynight. Also, I make new flashcards for the rxns that I get wrong on each practice test. I guess the overlap and repetition helps(a lot).

I did exactly the same thing. You'd be surprised at how well this works to memorize them, it'll probably only take a few days, and then you add on whatever you get wrong on practice tests.

 

[IzzyMarieDMD]

I always felt overwhelmed by the number of reactions to memorize so my strategy for Ochem class and Dat studying was to label sheets of paper as:

Oxidizing Reactions
Reduction Reactions
Organometallic Reactions
Aromatic Reactions (Halogenation, Sulfonation, Friedel Crafts, etc.)
Carboxylic Acid Derivatives Reactions
Misc. Reactions (Williamson Ether Synthesis, Aldol condensations, whatever)
Sn1 vs. Sn2 vs. E1 vs. E2

Categorizing them helped me memorize them more easily than if I had just attacked them all at once.

I also have sheets for Acid/Base strength, Isomers, Boiling pts. etc.

Hope this helps. I think the key to Organic is organization. Good Luck 🙂

 

[eapleitez]

In my experience, you are wasting alot of energy and time by trying to memorize every single rxn out there. That's gonna be pretty impossible. It is better to understand the electronegativites of atoms in a molecule and realize which protons (H+) and atoms are weakly attached compared to the others. This solves most of your problems. Then just memorize the specific rxns that you know are most likely to be on the test, such as Claisen condensation, wittig reaction, rxns of different funtional groups with phenols and benzenes, etc. You'll do fine if you do this. My first attempt with O chem, I dropped the class with a W. Next attempt I got a C. Second semester it really clicked with me and I got a high B (almost an A). And even though it is not my favorite subject by far, it was my best score on the DAT with a 25.