This statement is right on the money. Orgo is like math. We learn how to add, we learn how to find derivitives, we don't memorize what the derivitive of 2x^2 is. If you try to memorize only what the derivitive of 2x^2 is, you'll be screwed on the test when your professor puts a problem like 56x^6 + 100x + 109 = 0.
I never said you should memorize every reaction. Only common ones. Get this through your thick skull. Also, that is also a poor analogy. What I'm saying is that when doing electrochemistry, you should memorize the nernst equation instead of deriving it out every time.
OchemTA...every class require some kind of memorization. How else do you learn. But orgo is not the kind of class where you should memorize to succeed. That would only make things difficult.
I never said organic is a memorization intensive class, only that you UNDERSTATED the importance of memorization by saying
I don't think organic chemistry is a class that necessarily requires memorization.
After having taken 3 semesters of organic (orgo I, II, and III)
To my knowledge, there is no such thing as organic III since each university does their own thing at the third year level (organic I & II are pretty much the same at every uni). I also find that unlike organic I & II, there are usually 2 or more organic courses at the third year level. So no, you didn't complete "orgo III".
I will tell you that the reactions are way harder to memorize then just to learn WHY stuff happens the way it does.
Really?
So you think it's much easier and faster to work out the reaction mechanism of the wittig reaction (based on knowing "why stuff happens") over just knowing that the double bonds on the ylide replaces the carbonyl section? I'm NOT saying you should memorize which face azide will attack a cyclohexanone with different substituants or every single enol tautomerization. I'm saying for simple reactions and reagents like PCC, you should memorize them.
Those that say orgo 2 is easy are the ones that did NOT memorize and instead learned why things happened (makes orgo 2 almost repetitive).
I've memorized about 75 reactions when I took my third semester of organic. I also finished my 1.5 hr MT in 45 min and 3 hour final in 1.5 hr and left the exam room still full with my peers. I ended with a 92%. Take from that what you will.
The ones that thought it was hard tend to memorize the reactions and thus find the questions hard when a molecule is not the same as the one in the book, and get flustered after having memorized over 50 different reactions (same concept, different molecules).
Again, you've shown your ignorance by NOT reading my previous post. I NEVER said you should memorize every single reaction for every single molecule. I've stated many times that many of the arrow pusing acid/base catalyzed reaction should be reasoned out and not memorized. As I've said, you should memorize the simple one step reaction that are commonly used eg. clemmenson reduction.
***Here's my main point***
You're simply better off memorizing that Zn(Hg)/HCl will reduce that aldehyde or ketone into an alkane than reasoning out that the carbonyl pi electrons attacks the zinc amalgam while the carbonyl is also attacked by the zinc in a concerted fashion (and subsequent step... it's too long to describe the complete mechanism see here if you're interested -
http://www.organic-chemistry.org/namedreactions/clemmensen-reduction.shtm)
The same is true for PCC, wolf kishner, wittig, EAS etc...( I feel that there's about 60 reactions/reagents that an orgo II student should memorize)
Do you guys really think I don't know how to reason out mechanism and still make it to my fourth year of organic by memorizing every possible reaction for every single molecule? Seriously? You guys should really learn some patience and read my WHOLE post.
I'm no longer going to post in this thread. I feel that this is as clear as I can make my point. As for the OP, I hope you will pay the effort to memorize the basic reactions. Not all questions are just electron pushing and a lot of retrosynthesis will require memorizing basic reaction. Take EAS (electrophilic aromatic substitution - clarification for OP), you WILL have to take the time to learn the reagents nessasary to add the desired substitutions. What you WON'T have to memorize is the position of EAS, that you can work out based on current subsitutents and the property of the electrophile.
Lastly, I challenge anyone to find where I have said in my posts that organic chemistry is a memorization based course where you have to memorize every single mechanism.
Pathetic.