Rant on Orgo

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osprey099

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Just had a Stereochemistry test today and got completely manhandled. Test was at least 10X harder than the SAT. It's a major mind****, like watching the movie, Inception, but a lot worse. Screw stereochemistry, it's stupid and useless. Rant done
 
stereochemistry is what hooked me in the organic chem because once you get it it will hold forever in your brain

Also it's very intuitive and fun

I suggest that you actually get how the stereochem actually works instead of doing some tricks that you may have been doing..
 
osprey099 said:
Just had a Stereochemistry test today and got completely manhandled. Test was at least 10X harder than the SAT. It's a major mind****, like watching the movie, Inception, but a lot worse. Screw stereochemistry, it's stupid and useless. Rant done
Click to expand...

I have never seen an exam compared to the SAT. I didn't know the SAT was this imposing exam that could be useful in such a comparison. Sure college rides on it, but that doesn't mean the problems are like trying to solve differential equations.
 
kehlsh said:
stereochemistry is what hooked me in the organic chem because once you get it it will hold forever in your brain

Also it's very intuitive and fun

I suggest that you actually get how the stereochem actually works instead of doing some tricks that you may have been doing..
Click to expand...


This. Orgo is one of those subjects where I don't remember the names of specific reactions, but if you put an orgo problem in front of me, I can most likely still do it. There is so much logic to the entirety of organic chemistry...understand the inherent nature of it, and you'll have no problem working through the rest of it.
 
ksmajmudar said:
This. Orgo is one of those subjects where I don't remember the names of specific reactions, but if you put an orgo problem in front of me, I can most likely still do it. There is so much logic to the entirety of organic chemistry...understand the inherent nature of it, and you'll have no problem working through the rest of it.
Click to expand...

I agree, organic chemistry and its reactions are ruled really by like a few logical concepts like electronegativity and sterics. On Chirality and boat/ chair conformations, well those really are simple. Look up a few videos online or read Orgo as a Second language and they will explain everything you'll ever need to know about stereochem.
 
I just took a quiz over SN1 SN2 E1 E2 reactions, and i just always make stupid azz mistakes, and one of them just didnt make sense and she has a useless excuse......
 
ksmajmudar said:
This. Orgo is one of those subjects where I don't remember the names of specific reactions, but if you put an orgo problem in front of me, I can most likely still do it. There is so much logic to the entirety of organic chemistry...understand the inherent nature of it, and you'll have no problem working through the rest of it.
Click to expand...

This is totally accurate. Organic is probably one of the most logical and straightforward courses I've ever taken.

Congrats on the KCUMB acceptance.
 
I have to admit I coasted through organic by memorizing reaction products for specific reactions. Never really got a handle on the underlying principles. But stereochemistry was one of the easiest sections to me...
 
Protip: Don't make threads about organic chemistry. Everyone will just make you feel bad by telling you how easy it is, mostly because they want to look cool on the internet.
 
Orgo is hard. Stereochemistry is just the tip of the iceberg...
 
You should try upper level chemistry classes. Just saying.
 
I took organic I at a state institution over the summer and I was really able to focus on it. Although the school wasn't well known, the instructor was very helpful and eloquent in his lectures. When I returned to my home school and took orgo II, I thought I was going to get steamrolled, but like some of the previous posters have said, you really don't forget it after you get it the first time, and my professor had really assisted me in establishing a strong foundation.

Do realize it could be on the MCAT, so definitely take the time to learn it. But it is stereochemistry, so unless you take upper level chemistry courses it probably won't show up again after that. People who have done it will undoubtedly tell you it's easy, but everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. I suggest you consult Organic Chemistry As A Second Language(I didn't use it for Org I, but it did wonders for II, especially with mechanisms) by Klein, hopefully it will be of some help. And if it's just stereochemistry of your average joe molecules, just use the wheel/backwards wheel, for carbs remember to rotate it, and if it's for chair conformation, there is a very handy way to memorize them that I'm sure you can find on the web(too lazy to type it out). Good luck!
 
Tin Man said:
Stereochemistry is stupid and useless? Ha...

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thalidomide
Click to expand...

winner_chicken_large.gif
 
Takin orgo now, and I could not agree with you less
 
Tin Man said:
Stereochemistry is stupid and useless? Ha...

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thalidomide
Click to expand...

The first thing we learned in our Orgo class 😀

I would like to chime in and say, Organic chemistry was an easy class for me, but that wasn't without work. I did all the homework problems over and over again, and didn't just solve them, but also sat down and tried to logically make sense of my answer.

Once the basics were down, the rest of the semester was smooth sailing. Though I don't get the comparison to the SAT... those two types of tests aren't even related...
 
coyotelime said:
I took organic I at a state institution over the summer and I was really able to focus on it. Although the school wasn't well known, the instructor was very helpful and eloquent in his lectures. When I returned to my home school and took orgo II, I thought I was going to get steamrolled, but like some of the previous posters have said, you really don't forget it after you get it the first time, and my professor had really assisted me in establishing a strong foundation.

Do realize it could be on the MCAT, so definitely take the time to learn it. But it is stereochemistry, so unless you take upper level chemistry courses it probably won't show up again after that. People who have done it will undoubtedly tell you it's easy, but everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. I suggest you consult Organic Chemistry As A Second Language(I didn't use it for Org I, but it did wonders for II, especially with mechanisms) by Klein, hopefully it will be of some help. And if it's just stereochemistry of your average joe molecules, just use the wheel/backwards wheel, for carbs remember to rotate it, and if it's for chair conformation, there is a very handy way to memorize them that I'm sure you can find on the web(too lazy to type it out). Good luck!
Click to expand...


Thanks for the advice!
 
osprey099 said:
Just had a Stereochemistry test today and got completely manhandled. Test was at least 10X harder than the SAT. It's a major mind****, like watching the movie, Inception, but a lot worse. Screw stereochemistry, it's stupid and useless. Rant done
Click to expand...

It's okay; we can rant together.
 
Chops369 said:
Protip: Don't make threads about organic chemistry. Everyone will just make you feel bad by telling you how easy it is, mostly because they want to look cool on the internet.
Click to expand...

This is true, but not necessarily because we want to look cool. I think that once you've taken the whole course and gotten a holistic understanding of the underlying principles, the first-semester stuff becomes very easy in retrospect.

Or at least that's what I tell the students in my discussion section 😛
 
It all depends on the professor. My professor makes organic chemistry an absolute nightmare. We just had an exam today and I can guarantee that at least 90% of the class failed. I studied over 8 hours for the exam and would be lucky to pull off a C. 🙁
 
Charles Darwin said:
It all depends on the professor. My professor makes organic chemistry an absolute nightmare. We just had an exam today and I can guarantee that at least 90% of the class failed. I studied over 8 hours for the exam and would be lucky to pull off a C. 🙁
Click to expand...

Yea, especially when the professor only curves to a C+, like mine... 🙁🙁
 
osprey099 said:
Yea, especially when the professor only curves to a C+, like mine... 🙁🙁
Click to expand...
Mine doesn't curve at all. He gives "bonus points" if you re-do the exam (7+ pages, 40+ questions) and turn it back in next class. Even after that the class average is still in the C- range.
 
Charles Darwin said:
Mine doesn't curve at all. He gives "bonus points" if you re-do the exam (7+ pages, 40+ questions) and turn it back in next class. Even after that the class average is still in the C- range.
Click to expand...

Yeah there are no extra credit, dropping, or curving of tests in my class. What you get is what you get for realz.
 
I put in more Orgo work than my 3 classes combined.
Pays off. I also try to get the jist of things and not just do the homework "mindlessly."
 
StudyShy said:
I guess not so bad.

Test 1: 70%
Test 2: 80%
Test 3: took today so we'll see

3 more exams to go 🙁
Click to expand...
OMG 6 exams?
My professor bunches up 5 chapters into one exam with 30 questions and 4 exams total including the ACS finals.
 
I don't get people who say it's all intuitive. Are you saying you intuitively know which reagents to use in a synthesis, or that sometimes if it's an easy mechanism you don't have to memorize it?
 
JohnnyRomanes said:
OMG 6 exams?
My professor bunches up 5 chapters into one exam with 30 questions and 4 exams total including the ACS finals.
Click to expand...

Yeah when I was looking over the syllabus I was like, "holy smokes...that's a lot!" At least today we are kind of at the halfway point with three more exams (the last exam being comprehensive). I'm used to way less tests for one class. I'm crossing my fingers for a 90+ on this last one. :xf:
 
JohnnyRomanes said:
OMG 6 exams?
My professor bunches up 5 chapters into one exam with 30 questions and 4 exams total including the ACS finals.
Click to expand...

The ACS final was brutal. I loved orgo though, I felt accomplished working through the problems.
 
All you need to know about stereochemistry you can learn from cats.

tMpGG.jpg
 
Taking biochem in med school now. OChem and GChem still relevant.
 
Stereochemistry is easy as long as you master the R and S confirmations.
 
we call it ochem out west coast, bro.

Do more previous test questions.
 
coyotelime said:
And if it's just stereochemistry of your average joe molecules, just use the wheel/backwards wheel, for carbs remember to rotate it, and if it's for chair conformation, there is a very handy way to memorize them that I'm sure you can find on the web(too lazy to type it out). Good luck!
Click to expand...

Or you could just learn how to assign R and S and then never need to memorize anything.

Also, chair conformations aren't stereoisomers, so I'm not really sure what you're talking about here.
 
StudyShy said:
I guess not so bad.

Test 1: 70%
Test 2: 80%
Test 3: took today so we'll see

3 more exams to go 🙁
Click to expand...
Holy ****. 70% and 80% class average? You might have some very smart classmates, or a very fair orgo professor.

Mine were always in the 40s and 50s. 🙁
 
Chops369 said:
Holy ****. 70% and 80% class average? You might have some very smart classmates, or a very fair orgo professor.

Mine were always in the 40s and 50s. 🙁
Click to expand...

I took an honors organic course - the average on the final exam was in the 50s.
 
cheesier said:
I don't get people who say it's all intuitive. Are you saying you intuitively know which reagents to use in a synthesis, or that sometimes if it's an easy mechanism you don't have to memorize it?
Click to expand...


I think what they mean by "intuitive" is that once you learn general principles behind reactions, you don't necessarily have to memorize every single reaction.

For reagents though, I remember I just straight up memorized those.

For mechanisms, I never memorized a mechanism from homework or anything. Because it was useless since my professors never gave us similar mechs from homework, and because you are suppose to be able to work it through.

This becomes more true if you take advanced organic chem. You learn more about frontier molecular orbital theory and how it helps you to predict reactions.

It's not all about memorization.
 
osprey099 said:
O really? Find whether each of the following molecules are enantiomers, diastereomers, identical, or constitutional isomers. (See attachments)
Click to expand...

Uh, the document you attached is fairly trivial to solve. Just look at the ones that are mirror images (enantiomers), the ones that are the same are obviously identical, Diastereomers have one different point, and consitutional isomers have different names.

I think you need to work on your basics before you go telling people orgo is too hard.
 
cheesier said:
I don't get people who say it's all intuitive. Are you saying you intuitively know which reagents to use in a synthesis, or that sometimes if it's an easy mechanism you don't have to memorize it?
Click to expand...

It's not alchemy, it's science. There's reason and logic behind it. You just have to find it.

Organic chemistry is one of the first classes that really tests logic. It's not really a chemistry class as much as a giant exercise in logic. Even the things that seem illogical are logical once you know the mechanism behind them. One of the things that pops into mind is anti-Markovnikov addition to an alkene. The reasoning behind is that the peroxide adds to the less substituted carbon, forcing the cation/free radical to be stabilized with the more substituted carbon which then gets halogenated (or w/e your workup is).
 
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