Tips for Organic Chemistry

elchavito · May 17, 2013

Hey bubbly26

I took ochem last semester and maaaaaan did I have to study.

You're gonna have to stay on top of the material. It builds on itself. Make sure you understand the foundations if not you will get lost.

I bought 'organic chemistry demystified' it helped out a lot. Simpler language.

I watched YouTube videos over and over and over again. Khan academy was one of the YouTube tutors I used.

It also helps out if you get a molecular model set. It will help you understand spatial arrangements of organic compounds.

Lastly, make sure you practice your textbook problems. It was one of the first things our professor told us. Paper and pencil should always be on hand.

Good luck!

Steph143 · May 17, 2013

I'm taking O chem right now, and I have to say for myself, it is actually one of the easier science classes I have taken. No my professor is NOT easy, he is the Dean of the Chem department, and makes the test so hard! I feel all in all the hardest thing in O chem are knowing all the reactions. Make flash cards for all of them, and good luck I love this class, you can actually learn how to read labels and know the structure for most of the ingredients in the back of your shampoo bottles, foods, etc : ) Good luck and just study!

Steph143 · May 17, 2013

And also as the previous poster said look at you-tube it helps alot too : )

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · May 17, 2013

I'm taking OChem in the Fall. I was speaking to my Chem prof about it and he said you really need to be strong in understanding how to draw Lewis Dot structures and have the VSEPR & molecular geometry memorized before beginning OChem because OChem picks up where this left off in Inorganic Chem. Like the poster above stated, he also said it would be good to buy a molecular model set.

I'm taking the 2nd semester of Inorganic Chem this summer and still have OChem I & II plus BioChem left to take (I'm trying to get into a graduate program after finishing the BSN)

flysbyemerald08 · May 18, 2013

Attend all lectures and if study groups are your style- form one. Make flash cards and quiz each other. Make each other draw out mechanisms and also simple reactant/ product Q and As (without the mechanism; this will become important in multi-step synthesis when you do not have time to draw out every mechanism).

There will be tons of reactions and mechanisms. My professor did not stress nomenclature too much but we learned them through readings from our textbook. This class seems to be one where it comes naturally to some people while it is a nightmare to others. I fell between the two which meant I had to study rigorously and juggle my pre-lab and post-lab reports and 3 other classes as well. Many late nights and yes a few teary moments!

What also helped me tremendously was a little book called Organic Chemistry as a 2^nd language by David R. Klein. He has two separate Organic Chemistry books for first and second semester. If you do get the David Klein books start reading them and practice before the summer is over! Also the gentleman on this link http://www.freelance-teacher.com/videos.htm teaches pretty darn good! I watched many of his videos however there were times when juggling homework relegated me to old fashioned practice until I got the practice problems for our online homework correct (we had online homework but had actual in-class lectures). Lab was separate and :groan: a lot of work! Cool thing is we have an NMR machine, IR spec machines, mass spec machines, and my school gave us semester licenses for an NMR program (to check results from labs we did) and Chemdraw to install on our computers for free :)

This class is time consuming and truly a second language. As forum member sopranokris stated make sure you know your Lewis dot formulas, sp hybridization, and VSEPR theory. As you draw your mechanisms those valence electrons become very important. If you have access to a model kit then it will help on your stereochemistry chapter. I found that only taking a carbon atom from my kit with 4 bonds and different colored endings helped me out as I became more proficient in spatial orientation rather than taking the whole kit.

The most important thing is to practice and practice. Make use of every available resource that your school has to offer to help you get through the course. There are many variables to consider on how tough your class will be. Although I am no longer pursuing nursing I often check back here from time to time and it is wonderful to see how supportive this community is! Very inspirational! My OCHM courses are for science majors and a yearlong program but the suggestions I have given should still be valid. I took my courses at my University with 300+ students and exams that made you want to pull your hair out! I would say about 40 percent of the class either failed or dropped out in both OCHM I and OCHEM II.

What I got out of the courses is that I have love and healthy respect for Organic Chemistry :)

Best of luck!

samist · May 19, 2013

After two semesters of Ochem, this the advice I can give:

-buy study aides: spark charts, etc.

-buy: organic chemistry by LG wade. Hands down the best orgo text book. He gives a good breakdown of mechanisms which is needed in orgo!!! ( dirt cheap on amazon!)

-make your own charts: in MS word, use the shapes to draw boxes. Print them out and draw out each type of mechanism and what elements are involved and why. This works!!!! The hours I poured over the mechanisms that I conveniently practiced and organized helped me pass with a B+. My own orgo teacher was impressed!!!

-buy colored pens: it might be an expense now, but they go along way to help you remember things. Plus reused them in other classes!

Enjoy orgo, it's actually fun once you really understand it.

elchavito · May 19, 2013

I agree with samist. Once you understand the mechanisms you actually start enjoying the course. You being to feel like a scientist in a lab.