Rant on Orgo

[Tin Man]

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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).

Exactly. Most people here are anonymous, so it's not like there's a benefit to saying that ochem was easy for some of us unless it was.

Ochem was, for me, much more enjoyable and easy than physics or physical chemistry. I have to work a little harder at numbers than a lot of my science-major brethren. But ochem is not about numbers. It's about logic, pure and simple.

The only mechanisms I had to memorize were those which the teacher plainly said were simply too complicated to explain in detail for a beginning ochem course. Everything else was just a diagnostic problem. If you start at point A, and want to get to point D, what do you need to do?

Maybe I was a geek for having as much fun with ochem as I did, but for those of us who enjoy using problem-solving skills, there is certainly an explanation as to why we think it was "easy".

 

[StudyShy]

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. 🙁

I think that everyone in there is smart. I've been fairly impressed by the students in the class. It is a far cry from some of my other classes. I guess it is a good challenge.

She takes away points if you slant your answers to the left (j/k), spell a word wrong (true), or write/draw more than the question asks for (true).

40s and 50s would be demoralizing for sure. 🙁

 

[coyotelime]

Exactly. Most people here are anonymous, so it's not like there's a benefit to saying that ochem was easy for some of us unless it was.

Ochem was, for me, much more enjoyable and easy than physics or physical chemistry. I have to work a little harder at numbers than a lot of my science-major brethren. But ochem is not about numbers. It's about logic, pure and simple.

The only mechanisms I had to memorize were those which the teacher plainly said were simply too complicated to explain in detail for a beginning ochem course. Everything else was just a diagnostic problem. If you start at point A, and want to get to point D, what do you need to do?

Maybe I was a geek for having as much fun with ochem as I did, but for those of us who enjoy using problem-solving skills, there is certainly an explanation as to why we think it was "easy".

Yeah retrosynthetic analysis actually becomes fun after you get the hang of it. You hear this a million times, but it's a big puzzle and once you understand the strategies/memorize reagents it all becomes simple.

 

[chiapet874]

Yeah retrosynthetic analysis actually becomes fun after you get the hang of it. You hear this a million times, but it's a big puzzle and once you understand the strategies/memorize reagents it all becomes simple.

These were my favorite test questions 😀

 

[ksmajmudar]

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

Congrats on the KCUMB acceptance.

Thank you!

Some topics for the OP to spend a lot of time understanding:

Electronegativity
Stereochemistry (ask why, don't just memorize what you're doing)
Trends in the periodic table
Polarity/Nonpolarity
Resonance

These are the keys to Organic Chemistry, IMO. The specific reaction mechanisms can all be extrapolate from this - Similar to how so many gas laws can be figured out simply using variations of PV=nRT.

Anybody have any other concepts they wish to add?

 

[NoirD2]

Are you sure you have your grading system correct? I don't think any of my classes are graded on a straight scale like HS. I'm not in Orgo but I heard the average is around 60% for the first exam. My Physics exam average was 68% and that was above average compared to most years according to the professor.

 

[orthomyxo]

Yeah retrosynthetic analysis actually becomes fun after you get the hang of it. You hear this a million times, but it's a big puzzle and once you understand the strategies/memorize reagents it all becomes simple.

These were my favorite test questions 😀

Dorks.

 

[tiedyeddog]

O really? Find whether each of the following molecules are enantiomers, diastereomers, identical, or constitutional isomers. (See attachments)

... I could have told you the answers to that stuff in seconds when I took it during sophomore year(more than three years ago).Hardcore Organic chemistry(beyond simple concepts like stereochemistry....) has little to no application to medical school work, so I don't remember it, but it is super important in drug development.

Organic chemistry is just a class that requires a lot of hard work and is a weed out class but It's not physical chemistry and it's not fluid dynamics or thermodynamics, which are much, much harder classes. There is no hidden secret to doing well. Just do every practice problem you can and repetition.

 

[tiedyeddog]

Useless in terms of 99.9% of people will never need to understand stereochemistry or use it for anything in the rest of their lives.

...so is 99% of premed. I am seriously struggling to sympathize with you. I will never, ever use anything I learned in that weird classes about art produced during Nazi Germany.... and?

 

[osprey099]

Organic chemistry is just a class that requires a lot of hard work and is a weed out class but It's not physical chemistry and it's not fluid dynamics or thermodynamics, which are much, much harder classes. There is no hidden secret to doing well. Just do every practice problem you can and repetition.

Very well put.

 

[13132]

... I could have told you the answers to that stuff in seconds when I took it during sophomore year(more than three years ago).Hardcore Organic chemistry(beyond simple concepts like stereochemistry....) has little to no application to medical school work, so I don't remember it, but it is super important in drug development.

Organic chemistry is just a class that requires a lot of hard work and is a weed out class but It's not physical chemistry and it's not fluid dynamics or thermodynamics, which are much, much harder classes. There is no hidden secret to doing well. Just do every practice problem you can and repetition.

110% true 👍

 

[saveourpens]

Everyone has to go through it. The class isn't hard as much as it's just a lot more work than other classes.

 

[MD Odyssey]

O really? Find whether each of the following molecules are enantiomers, diastereomers, identical, or constitutional isomers. (See attachments)

The attached problems are not hard at all. Perhaps you need to work more problems from the textbook?

 

[Porfirio]

Biochem >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ochem

If you hate Ochem, you might love Biochem. I was decent at Ochem, but great at Biochem.

 

[dentspring]

this is great!

 

[dentspring]

Oh my god..

love it!

 

[docbrill]

I love Ochem...oops am I in the wrong thread?