So I already finished the first chapter in Ochem II about alcohol reactions and all the ether/reagents.
Simple enough, it's just about understanding how the reactions are working and doing a bunch of practice.
Then I flip to the next chapter and I get to IR Spectroscopy. I read some of the chapter, and I have no idea what the hell I'm reading. It's such a jump from what we have been doing in organic chemistry for the past semester.
Is there any tips you guys can give in regards to learning spectroscopy? IR, NMR.
Yes I pre read before the semester starts 😛.
Thanks 🙂.
Textbooks go into the explanation of how the machines work to measure the vibrations of diff functional groups, blah blah... Organic chemists don't really care too much about how the instruments work, that's more for analytical chemists. My recommendation:
For IR just make sure to memorize the peaks for very important functional groups.
Examples:
Alcohols (OH) have big broad peaks 32-3600cm^-1
Carbonyls (C=O) have strong sharp peaks around 1650cm^-1
Those two groups are the only MCAT relevant ones, but for class know sp3 C-H bond, sp2 C-H, C=C, C=_C, C-N, and whatever else your prof emphasizes
Remember to avoid answer choices in the fingerprint region, anything below 1550cm^-1. PhDs reference books to figure out what's going on in there.
For NMR do lots of practice problems in order to understand: splitting (n+1 where n= number of hydrogens); recognize equivalent protons; how electro withdrawing groups deshield protons while electron donating shield; deshielding pulls electrons downfield while shielded saty upfield( exception being benzene).
NMR is one of the more likely types of lab questions for the MCAT, and it can often be as simple as recognizing which protons are equivalent or how many signals will result from the molecule.
The other two types of spectroscopy are not too MCAT relevant, but I'm sure you are expected to know them or class.
UV/Vis is only important if you are looking at a molecule that has a large, conjugated pi system. Look up beta-keratine to see what I mean.
And Mass-spec is prob the least important, but it looks at where cleavage will most likely occur if you energize the molecule. Here just remember how inductive effects work and you will e find. Note the special peaks for bromine and chlorine.
Best of luck!!!