inorganic harder then organic chem

[aalber9]

Does anyone have this same experience. I have recently been told by 3 people ( 2 doc's, 1 student) that they found organic chemistry to be easier than inorganic chem. All 3 of them, like me cant stand math and prefer actually learning concepts and so forth. They said since no math is really involved in orgo. that it was much easier to learn the concepts and memorize the material. Any more similar opinioins.

John

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[deleted9493]

For me, organic chemistry is a bit easier than I remember general chemistry being. I'm just a few weeks away from finishing my second semester of organic and it really hasn't seemed that bad. I think part of the reason for is that general chemistry is typically taken during the freshman year and that makes it seem more difficult (especially if you've never had chemistry before...like me). I've found that once you learn how electrons flow in organic...you can begin to speculate how/why things happen without being told. This makes lectures more active for me...as I end up trying to figure out what my professor is going to say before he says it. In that regard, organic is more interesting than inorganic.

 

[Brewster]

I was a chem major in college, but focused my courses mostly on physical chemistry (thermodynamics, kinetcs, quantum) which is (clearly) very math oriented.

I actually had an easier time with all the math than the memorization of organic chem. First semester orgo (the theory) I though was great. Memorizing reaction after reaction after reaction I found to be torture. I then moved onto the p-chem and had a much easier time.

Part of this may just be due to maturity on my part. I probably did not put the time into orgo that I should have and my experience likely suffered as a result.

 

[jtheater]

Who cares... I hated all chemistry except Biochem (which was taught in the medical school, not chem department at my school). I told my interviewers this in my interview and they all chuckled. I found it much easier studying chem for the MCAT... maybe because it was the second time or because the manner of testing was just easier.

 

[carrigallen]

Are you talking about *general* chemistry, or *inorganic* chemistry?

There is a significant difference. General chemistry just superficially reviews concepts in chemistry, like equilibrium, structure, physical properties, etc. Inorganic chemistry studies the d and f block metals, and metallocompounds

I think the hierarchy goes like this:

general chem < organic < inorganic < physical



.

 

[Dr. Hugh Hefner]

general chem < organic < inorganic < physical

i could not agree more

p. chem suX

 

[Cookie Monster]

I also found organic easier than general chem -- but most of my friends say the exact opposite. Organic just made sense to me. A third vote for p chem being the worst

 

[JMD]

Definitely found Gen. Chem more difficult than O-Chem. Call me crazy, but I actually enjoyed O-Chem, but my professor was great.

 

[Asclepius]

It seems that visual/spacial learners like O-chem...I thought it was a little like tinker toys with some theory behind it.

Like others have said, people who prefer quantitative and mathmatical sciences like general chemistry.

And, from what I've heard, people who enjoy sodomy from rhinoceri also like p-chem.

 

[UCLAstudent]

I thought organic was much easier than general chem. I struggled a bit which general chem.

 

[UCLAstudent]

Originally posted by ColoradoCCT
I really think it depends on the individual though in my experience there is a correlation between the people who find gen chem easy and those who glide (as opposed to sweat....i.e. myself) through physics.

Agreed. I struggled with general chem, and I am having a grand old time right now with physics.

 

[dreaminOfMD>.<]

Loved O-chem...

G-chem was alright besides the fact that the later half kicked my butt...

Physics? Kicking my butt...

Is there a corellation? Most likely...

 

[group_theory]

Originally posted by Asclepius
And, from what I've heard, people who enjoy sodomy from rhinoceri also like p-chem.

THAT"S SOOOO TRUE

What's weird is that chem majors think that biochemistry is hard. As the only biochem major taking Advance Organic Lab (which was much better than Orgo lab because there were no premeds) - all the chem majors said I was insane to be majoring in biochemistry. Every once in a while, I would be doing something (like a sodium fusion test), and one of the chem majors would quiz me "what's the one letter abbreviation for phenylalanine, and what is the pka of tyrosine?" and some other easy questions. Once, while waiting to do some NMR, a kid ask me "what are the rate limiting steps in glycosis?"

Biochemistry is easy. Inorganic is hard. Nothing like learning about d and f orbitals, ligand field stabilization energy, and the Jahn-Teller effect. However, pchem is harder. From point groups and symmetry to character tables, to degrees of freedom and particles in a box, from Bohr-Oppenheimer approximation to Peng-Robinson equations - it is one of the only courses where you learn to use every greek letters (capital and lowercase) in one equation or another (Schrodiner's time-independant wave function in polar coordinates). But I did learn something useful - I can now spot the difference between Chi and X. =)

 

[Tamomo]

So true .... g-chem<o-chem<inorganic<p-chem for all the previously listed reasons.

P.S. For the love of God everyone, please stop calling Organic Chemistry...orgo....I mean what the f***. It sounds so stupid.

The convention should be
General Chemistry: g-chem
Organic Chemistry: o-chem, or organic
Inorganic Chemistry: inorganic
Phyiscal Chemistry: p-chem

 

[group_theory]

I always thought it was weird hearing people refer to organic chemistry as "ochem". It's as weird as referring to introductory chemistry as "gchem" instead of just "chem" or "general chem". But what do I know - I'm just a biochem and chem dual major.

I guess people will then have to refer to orgometallic as "ometallic"

Why is it orgo? I don't know - it's just used by lots of people - premeds and chem majors and chem professors alike. Everytime I hear "ochem" I always think of OCAML.

But then again, this is all personal preferences.

 

[gwyn779]

Since I mjored in phsycis, I found organic to be harder to get a good grade in. I won't actually say harder, becuase
aalber9's right.....it's really just memorization. Which I happen to be terrible at. Inorganic requires figuring out concepts, which I always liked better. And as for p-chem, while I never took it, one of my friends doble majored in chem and physics and said it was the hardest chem class he ever took, but the easiest physics class. But obviously we're in the minority.

 

[VienneseWaltz]

The concepts were more difficult in general chem, I guess, but it seemed that orgo required a lot more work. I'm not a typical case, though, b/c I took both semesters of orgo in the summer, and I had 2 years of general chem in high school, so the odds were stacked in favor of finding orgo harder. 2nd semester of orgo was definitely easier than first.

Speaking of whether "orgo" should be used, I guess that's like saying "ophtho" for ophthalmology ... I guess orgo is easier to say than o-chem?

 

[DW]

I'm glad we've got a few chem majors on here. all i remember where the bio majors whining incessantly in our cross listed biochemistry class, and thinking "why dont you guys try taking two semesters of P chem with lab. It will makes this class look like phys ed"

 

[YaFwiendToluene]

general chemistry>organic chemistry<biochemistry<inorganic chemisty<physical chemistry

Physical Chemistry is the MOTHER of all chemistry classes....or classes period. I'm willing to say that Physical chem is the hardest class any undergraduate can take...period. Organic chemistry on the other hand..is just conceptual chemistry...either you see it or you don't...while I like organic....it gets quite boring after a while....but it sets a good stage for biochemistry which seems to be more interesting.

Basically for organic chemistry, if you know how to make scrambled eggs, rotate molecules in your head, and if you can draw a stick figure with a smiley face.....you CAN pass organic chemistry.

 

[meanderson]

I don't think pchem is all that difficult for physics majors who have already been exposed to upper level physics classes.

 

[CD]

I must be odd. I took both g-chem and o-chem as post bacc classes and found g-chem to be MUCH more difficult than o-chem. However, my undergrad was in civil engr. so you would have thought g-chem would have been the easier of the two. I don't mind mathmatics at all and in fact enjoy sciences based on math, BUT organic chem was FUN while I can't say that about g-chem. We had a very small class for organic though, so that may have influenced my opinion. In fact, I decided I enjoyed organic so much that I'm now a first year graduate student in organic chemistry (of all things). My class mates laugh at the diversity of my backgroud....civil engr to organic chemistry...everyone thought I'd choose physical chemistry as my emphasis since my background is so math heavy........now advanced organic on the other had is NOT so enjoyable!....at least at the moment.

 

[Tamomo]

Originally posted by group_theory
I always thought it was weird hearing people refer to organic chemistry as "ochem". It's as weird as referring to introductory chemistry as "gchem" instead of just "chem" or "general chem". But what do I know - I'm just a biochem and chem dual major.

I guess people will then have to refer to orgometallic as "ometallic"

Why is it orgo? I don't know - it's just used by lots of people - premeds and chem majors and chem professors alike. Everytime I hear "ochem" I always think of OCAML.

But then again, this is all personal preferences.

That's great....as long as you're bragging about your degrees... I received an A.C.S. certified B.S. in Biochemistry along with my B.A. in anthropology. All of my professors, most of which were chem. profs., hated calling it orgo. Again, it is preference and I don't want to start any flames but I always thought that it sounded like kiddy speak.

What's orgometallic? Isn't it organometallic.

P.S. Most schools don't allow students to double major in biochem. and chem. since the two degrees overlap so much that all it would take is to add on either 2 bio classes and 1 lab or 2 chem classes and 1 lab and presto you're a double science major.

 

[coffeespoon]

Hated chemistry in high school (teacher made me cry twice)...hated general chemistry in college...told myself I would hold out for one more year to fulfill premed requirements and -- lo and behold -- I fell in love with organic chemistry! It was the last thing I thought I would major in.

I became a total organic chem junkie (total 3 years research, almost went to graduate school in chemistry, loved tutoring and being a lab TA)

Although that seems to be the only aspect of chemistry that I'm talented in ... the semester after organic, I got a "W" on my transcript from withdrawing from P-Chem: Thermodynamics because I couldn't understand any of it

 

[Indy]

I-Chem SUCKS!!!



don't be a chem major if you know what's good for you! it's soo not worth it unless you like learning the most boring shiat you seriously will never use nor see again. the only fun part (other than biochem) was A-Chem lab b/c we did cool stuff you could use in research or forensics if you decided to go into those.

 

[Skaterbabe74]

Originally posted by Tamomo
P.S. Most schools don't allow students to double major in biochem. and chem. since the two degrees overlap so much that all it would take is to add on either 2 bio classes and 1 lab or 2 chem classes and 1 lab and presto you're a double science major. [/B]

Gee to double major in biology and chemistry at our school you only need to take another 4 classes total (whether they are labs or lectures), and in reality I'll only be taking 1 class...Analytical Chem that I hadn't already planned on taking for my bio degree...now I'll just take 1 semester Biochem + lab, and Molecular Genetics + lab under the chem dept and not go over in my bio credits nearly as much...

--Jessica, UCCS