Ok, so what information is passed on in these "magical talks" that result in ..

[MaybePharmacist]

people suddenly understanding Organic Chemistry. For example. I have a friend who is a pharmacist (though she graduated a number of years ago) who failed Organic Chemistry I the first time. Her dad ran into someone who was a chemistry professor and he introduced him to her. After speaking to the professor for a few hours, Organic Chemistry suddenly made sense to my friend and she passed the class the second time with an "A." Unfortunately, she doesn't really remember what he taught her. Also, in the first chapter of "The Nuts and Bolts of Organic Chemistry," the author talks about how a student came to him after getting a "C," an "F," and a "D" on the first three exams. She wanted to drop the class, but the author spent an hour reviewing basic strategies with her and she got a "B+" on the next exam and a "B" on the final. Oh, and she also got a 96 on the first exam in his Organic Chemistry II class. What the heck?! Somebody please enlighten me on these strategies, concepts, rules of thumb, or whatever they are that suddenly make Organic Chemistry crystal clear! What am I missing?? All I can recall from taking Organic Chemistry (and doing miserably in it even after studying for hours) was the desire to just start bawling (and to throw my book out the window). PLEASE AND THANK YOU!

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[glory4england]

Here's my old organic professor's website, very useful, check out the golden rules: http://iverson.cm.utexas.edu/courses/old/310N/spring2008/

^^

Basically don't try to memorize organic chemistry, you have to learn the fundamentals of organic chemistry like valence electrons, how electrons move from one species to another, etc...

And study every day, don't put things off, it isn't like a history or even a biology class where you can just memorize tons of information and dump it all out after the exam (academia bulimia). It's been a while since I've taken Organic Chemistry so I can't give you specific tips, but I remember enjoying Organic Chemistry because I took the time to learn the concept early in the beginning of the semester so that when it came for synthesis, they're just like fun puzzle problems to me.

^^

 

[phathead]

Yep, you really have to know the basics and understand the mechanisms behind each individual reaction. Once you start learning how electrons move and how the molecule changes shape and such, it becomes really easy.

 

[pearljam5a1]

It's all about recognizing where a reaction is going to take place. Whenever you see electron density that's a huge clue. Look for double bonds, they're usually a huge flag. Any time you see an Ester you can think it's got a chance to be hydrolyzed. As was previously stated, you need to recognize that electrons are the currency of reactions. Follow the electrons and you can't go wrong.

 

[PharmOl]

Here's my old organic professor's website, very useful, check out the golden rules: http://iverson.cm.utexas.edu/courses/old/310N/spring2008/

^^

Basically don't try to memorize organic chemistry, you have to learn the fundamentals of organic chemistry like valence electrons, how electrons move from one species to another, etc...

And study every day, don't put things off, it isn't like a history or even a biology class where you can just memorize tons of information and dump it all out after the exam (academia bulimia). It's been a while since I've taken Organic Chemistry so I can't give you specific tips, but I remember enjoying Organic Chemistry because I took the time to learn the concept early in the beginning of the semester so that when it came for synthesis, they're just like fun puzzle problems to me.

^^

This is wonderful, thank you!

 

[MaybePharmacist]

Thank you everyone for your responses, especially "glory4england" (that website is great)! If anyone else has any suggestions, please post them!

 

[socalpharm86]

How bad you want something should correlate with how hard you'll try and get it. Organic chemistry was really the first course to teach me this. I went into ochem studying alone and not understanding it well enough. It wasn't until I took advantage of all the resources available to me through the awesome UC system that I saw success. I don't know what your college is structured like, but I attended discussions and office hours weekly even if I understood the material for the week. I was even enrolled in peer tutoring which I highly recommend if you have access to a knowledgeable tutor. I actually found it really fun too since I generally love working with other people.

btw how far have you gotten in organic chemistry?

 

[adma826]

Here's my old organic professor's website, very useful, check out the golden rules: http://iverson.cm.utexas.edu/courses/old/310N/spring2008/MainPagesSp06/GoldenRules.html

Basically don't try to memorize organic chemistry, you have to learn the fundamentals of organic chemistry like valence electrons, how electrons move from one species to another, etc...

And study every day, don't put things off, it isn't like a history or even a biology class where you can just memorize tons of information and dump it all out after the exam (academia bulimia). It's been a while since I've taken Organic Chemistry so I can't give you specific tips, but I remember enjoying Organic Chemistry because I took the time to learn the concept early in the beginning of the semester so that when it came for synthesis, they're just like fun puzzle problems to me.

^^

Thank you for the link and the suggestions. I WPed out of Organic Chem 1 some years ago b/c I got in the trap of not giving myself enough time to understand and trying to move on to the next concept/unit b/c the lecture was moving on.

I recently bought a Demystified book for Organic Chem b/c I plan on re-taking it next term and I want to get ready. I think you hit the nail on the head with the fundamentals (electrons, EN, etc...). I do not remember spending much time learning this the first time around and I know when we got into the nitty gritty, I was completely lost.

 

[pharm B]

I would recommend O-Chem for Dummies and Organic Chemistry as a Second Language as well. I know they're not "magical talks" but they definitely helped me out when the professor/text didn't make something crystal clear.

 

[FredDurst]

I'm TAing for an organic chemistry lab, and have TAed for other chemistry labs before. The biggest problem with students is that they memorize. This is not the way to learn organic chemistry. There are no if/thens, there are spectrums. You determine where the compounds you are looking at are on the spectrums and how they will act by logic. Only way to get this is to learn the concepts from the ground up. If you can't think in terms of resonance, electron density,... then you can't really work your way to an answer. One of the best ways to learn reactions is to learn WHY the mechanisms are what they are. Memorizing mechanisms is better than memorizing reactions, but not by much. You should try to follow exactly what happens, and ask yourself why the molecule can and did do that.

 

[aboveliquidice]

Here's my old organic professor's website, very useful, check out the golden rules: http://iverson.cm.utexas.edu/courses/old/310N/spring2008/

^^

Basically don't try to memorize organic chemistry, you have to learn the fundamentals of organic chemistry like valence electrons, how electrons move from one species to another, etc...

And study every day, don't put things off, it isn't like a history or even a biology class where you can just memorize tons of information and dump it all out after the exam (academia bulimia). It's been a while since I've taken Organic Chemistry so I can't give you specific tips, but I remember enjoying Organic Chemistry because I took the time to learn the concept early in the beginning of the semester so that when it came for synthesis, they're just like fun puzzle problems to me.

^^

Great answer...