Preparing for Organic Chemistry in 6 Days - Hear me Out.

[EliteUltra]

Hey guys, non-traditional student here.

I am taking the first semester of organic chemistry at school (U of Delaware) over the winter. Delaware has an extensive winter break (lasts until about feb 8) so therefore they have an extensive winter program.

The course will be five weeks long.

The tricky thing is that I am a non traditional student and took general chemistry a LONG time ago (Fall 2007 and Spring 2008). Its been five years so I dont really remember much.

Basically, I am wondering what I should re-learn from GenChem so that I can be better prepared for Organic Chemistry.

Also, Im wondering if there is anything else I can do to prepare myself for the class.

If anyone could suggest what I could do over the next six days to better prepare myself for the course ... maybe a five or six day specialized program.... then I would greatly appreciate it.

P.S. - Ive looked at other threads about Orgo and see a lot of people recommending others to take the class as an audit beforehand and study the whole summer before taking the class. Is this really necessary? Its kind of getting me worried because I am only giving myself six days....

Guys, I may be a non traditional student...but when I want to get an A I get that A. I just got a 4.0 last semester... Im just worried that Orgo will be different because Ive heard horror stories about it.

Thanks.

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[AOK123]

orgo has nothing to do w/ gen chem. they're basically completely diff courses

 

[Bluto385]

If you have solid work ethic, organic should not be an overwhelming challenge. Stay up to date with your readings if you want to succeed. Luckily for you, organic deviates significantly from general chemistry in terms of subject matter. General chemistry primarily focuses on analyzing the physical processes surrounding inorganic reactions (with the exception of combustion analysis, etc.) whereas organic largely focuses on how organic molecules themselves react. Very different stuff.

If you would like to get a feel of what organic may include in order to prepare for your semester, I would suggest visiting this site below. All of the video links lead to youtube and cover concepts that you are certain to see in your course in everyday language.

http://www.freelance-teacher.com/videos.htm

 

[mcloaf]

No need to audit, no need for gen chem. pay attention and work hard and you should be ok.

 

[lobo.solo]

Just stay on top of your work while in the class. Get Organic chemistry as second language by klein and maybe review that. Also, review resonance of chem structures

 

[Twinnering]

If you have solid work ethic, organic should not be an overwhelming challenge. Stay up to date with your readings if you want to succeed. Luckily for you, organic deviates significantly from general chemistry in terms of subject matter. General chemistry primarily focuses on analyzing the physical processes surrounding inorganic reactions (with the exception of combustion analysis, etc.) whereas organic largely focuses on how organic molecules themselves react. Very different stuff.

If you would like to get a feel of what organic may include in order to prepare for your semester, I would suggest visiting this site below. All of the video links lead to youtube and cover concepts that you are certain to see in your course in everyday language.

http://www.freelance-teacher.com/videos.htm

^^This, hands down. Bluto's advice is on-point. I tried to think back to what carried over into Orgo from Inorganic Chem, and other than drawing the stick figured for things like octane...not much. If you have the textbook, you could pre-read along with watching those videos. Other than that, best way to get an A in Orgo is to keep up with the work, practice with problem sets that your course gives, and really trying to understand the concepts well.

 

[Bangersandmash]

Key gen chem points you'll see in orgo: Resonance and acid-base properties. You don't need to know the math involved with gen chem acid-base equilibria, but you might want to refresh your memory on what makes an acid an acid and a base a base. Still, you'll learn a little more in depth from an Ochem perspective why certain acids and bases are weaker or stronger than others.

 

[galaxyx]

There is no gen chem that you need for Ochem. I do recommend brushing up on your nomenclature though. It will just make it easier. You get taught everything you NEED to know in the class, but memorizing some of the basic structures before the class will make there be less to memorize in the class.

 

[AdmiralSnackbar]

Just mentally prepare yourself for the thousands of squiggly lines you're going to have to draw.

The first part of ochem is really easy, but it does intensify a bit as it goes on. It's not HARD, per se, but they do cram a lot of new material in your face really really fast. So prepare for that.

 

[deleted393595]

Hey guys, non-traditional student here.

I am taking the first semester of organic chemistry at school (U of Delaware) over the winter. Delaware has an extensive winter break (lasts until about feb 8) so therefore they have an extensive winter program.

The course will be five weeks long.

The tricky thing is that I am a non traditional student and took general chemistry a LONG time ago (Fall 2007 and Spring 2008). Its been five years so I dont really remember much.

Basically, I am wondering what I should re-learn from GenChem so that I can be better prepared for Organic Chemistry.

Also, Im wondering if there is anything else I can do to prepare myself for the class.

If anyone could suggest what I could do over the next six days to better prepare myself for the course ... maybe a five or six day specialized program.... then I would greatly appreciate it.

P.S. - Ive looked at other threads about Orgo and see a lot of people recommending others to take the class as an audit beforehand and study the whole summer before taking the class. Is this really necessary? Its kind of getting me worried because I am only giving myself six days....

Guys, I may be a non traditional student...but when I want to get an A I get that A. I just got a 4.0 last semester... Im just worried that Orgo will be different because Ive heard horror stories about it.

Thanks.

Be familiar with orbitals and relative strengths of acids based on their position on the periodic table.

 

[Charles Darwin]

Familiarize yourself with arrow pushing and how to properly draw resonance structures.

 

[deleted393595]

familiarize yourself with arrow pushing and how to properly draw resonance structures.

+1.

 

[Charles Darwin]

You may also want to look over common organic prefixes and suffixes to make the section on nomenclature a bit easier.

 

[jena2nsu]

I strongly recommend Organic Chemistry as a Second Language by Klein. I sucked at Gen Chem but aced Organic Chem with the help of Klein's textbook and handbook. I believe the Amazon ratings speak for themselves.

 

[Fluidity of Movement]

Hello my friend, I wish you well in your class. All of the above posters have wonderful advice.

I would just like to caution you regarding ochem; it is considered the "weed out" class (despite it not being as difficult as ppl make it out to be)

LizzyM has referred to it several times in her thread this past week. 5weeks seems daunting for ochem (at least to me). P,ease make sure you keep track of the withdraw policy should your studying go awry.

Again, best of luck. And thanks to the above posters for the encouragement.

 

[An MD Hopeful]

I would suggest getting the book Organic Chemistry as a Second Language (first semester topics) by David Klein and going over that book in conjunction with your class book. This was a lifesaver book for me. If you are able to get the book before ur class starts, then maybe start going through the first few chapters before the class starts. If you like the book, they also have one for Second Semester Topics, which is also worth getting for the second semester of ochem.

 

[Drogo]

Hey guys, non-traditional student here.

I am taking the first semester of organic chemistry at school (U of Delaware) over the winter. Delaware has an extensive winter break (lasts until about feb 8) so therefore they have an extensive winter program.

The course will be five weeks long.

The tricky thing is that I am a non traditional student and took general chemistry a LONG time ago (Fall 2007 and Spring 2008). Its been five years so I dont really remember much.

Basically, I am wondering what I should re-learn from GenChem so that I can be better prepared for Organic Chemistry.

Also, Im wondering if there is anything else I can do to prepare myself for the class.

If anyone could suggest what I could do over the next six days to better prepare myself for the course ... maybe a five or six day specialized program.... then I would greatly appreciate it.

P.S. - Ive looked at other threads about Orgo and see a lot of people recommending others to take the class as an audit beforehand and study the whole summer before taking the class. Is this really necessary? Its kind of getting me worried because I am only giving myself six days....

Guys, I may be a non traditional student...but when I want to get an A I get that A. I just got a 4.0 last semester... Im just worried that Orgo will be different because Ive heard horror stories about it.

Thanks.

Honestly the videos that were linked by another user are great (freelance teacher). If you can try to find some intro level organic chemistry material to go over. (if you know a pre-nursing student, you can get the material easily).

Luckily my gen chem prof covered a small chuck of the organic chem nomenclature towards the end of the semester. Yet it is an entirely different course, so prep well.

 

[TheShaker]

If you're completely removed from GenChem and chem in general, then I think that you should at least be familiar with the structure of the atom, how electrons generally act and how they affect charge, a bit about molecular acidity, and maybe a bit about molecular stability and how it affects the rate of reactions. No math or anything, just have an idea about the concepts. It shouldn't take more than an hour or two. Other than that, you'll learn everything you'll need in class.

Oh, and practice drawing hexagons.

 

[music2doc]

orgo has nothing to do w/ gen chem. they're basically completely diff courses

ABSOLUTELY False. A solid understanding of the concepts of General Chemistry is critical to a strong understanding of Organic Chemistry. Now they are different in the same way Geometry and Algebra are different; however, they do, in fact, build upon one another. They are not different in the sense that Physics and Biology are different, for instance.

OP, it would behoove you to take a look at a Gen Chem review book and at least have some familiarity with the basic concepts of things such as acid/base chemistry (including pH, acid/base trends of elements, Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation -- understand it conceptually although you won't likely need it for calculations except maybe in lab), relative sizes and electronegativities of different atoms in their elemental states (as well as the trends when they are ions), positive & negative charge (how they attract, etc.), how to draw Lewis Dot Structures, valence electrons (trends and exceptions), general nomenclature, stoichiometry (including stoichiometric ratios, limiting reactants, etc.), resonance (know it conceptually, including why it occurs and how it relates to Lewis Dot Structures), structure of the atom (including molecular orbital theory), and be able to write out (from memory) the top 2 rows of the Periodic Table before walking into class.

While I agree that there is not really much someone coming fresh out of Gen Chem needs to review to be successful in Ochem, for someone who has not taken it in a few years, there are a lot of concepts that are crucial to understand walking in. Some of these will be rapidly covered in the first week or two of class but they will be covered as part of learning NEW concepts and with the assumption that you already have good mastery of the basic foundation and are now simply learning to apply that to a bunch of new scenarios. If your conceptual foundation from gen chem is weak, ochem will be a nightmare. On the other hand, if you truly understand the gen chem, you will find ochem really is pretty effortless since the memorization comes largely from having to memorize that which you do not fully understand.

 

[Anamine]

Orgo: Myths

"It's not my fault I'm doing bad in orgo, my professor sucks!"
Study ahead of the class, professor in not necessary bad, but the topic may be challenging if you fall behind.

"Orgo is a course in memorization"
It is easy to memorize stuff and regurgitate it on the exam. Sure, you will have to learn stuff but a major goal of the course is to take the stuff you learn and apply it to problems in organic chemistry.

"You don't even need to know general chemistry for orgo"
Not necessary true, but there will be a lot of common reoccurring topics like acid and base, resonance, periodic trends, Henderson–Hasselbalch equation, and etc.

The best way to prepare for orgo is 6 day? Read the first chapter of your orgo text book (gen chem review) and try to stay ahead if the class by at least one chapter. Learning general problem solving methods is probably the most useful skill you should master in the 6 days.