Introductory Organic Chemistry - Part 2

Organic chemistry course surveying introductory topics in structure and reactivity with an emphasis on elementary reaction mechanisms.

About the Course

This course surveys the reactions of organic compounds with an emphasis on mechanisms and a structure-based approach to understanding reactivity. Concepts and models are developed to build intuition about the reactivity of organic compounds. These concepts will prepare students for a mechanistic-based approach to learning organic reactivity. Emphasis will also be placed on developing problem-solving skills unique to organic chemistry. This course, orgchem1b, together with its prerequisite, orgchem1a are equivalent to a first-semester organic chemistry course; these courses and the subsequent courses (orgchem2a and orgchem2b) are especially suited for students in agricultural, nutritional and biological sciences, as well as premedical, predental, and preveterinary programs.

About the Instructor(s)

Professor Moore received his B.S. degree in Chemistry in 1984 and his Ph.D. in Materials Science in 1989 from the University of Illinois. Thereafter, he was an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at Caltech and an assistant professor at the University of Michigan before joining the faculty in 1993. Professor Moore is the author of over 300 publications, a fellow of the American Chemical Society, Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Associate Editor of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Course Syllabus

Lesson

Topic

1

Subst & Elimination Stereochem

2

Carbocation RAR

3

LGs & Ring-Opening

4

Carbon Nucleophiles

5

E+ Addition to C=C

6

E+ Addition to C≡C

7

Stereochem of E+ Addn

8

Carbonyl Reactivity

9

C=O & Conjugate Addn

10

Acyl Substitution

11

Substitution + Addition

12

Substitution of =O

13

Enols and Enolates

14

The C-alpha nucleophile

15

Exam Review

16

Aldol Addition

17

Claisen Condensation

18

Aromatic Chemistry

19

Aromatic Subst (E+)

20

Aromatic Subst (other)

Recommended Background

One year of general chemistry and orgchem1.

Course Format

Content is delivered via 5-minute videos we call webcasts. Webcasts of a related theme, along with a set of PDF lecture notes, constitute a lesson. There are 20 lessons in the course. Students are expected to watch and study these materials independently, much as they would study a traditional textbook. We encourage students to comment with feedback or questions via the discussion board. 
Bundled with each lesson are problems designed to help students test their understanding of webcast material and apply their knowledge to new situations. All problems in the course are delivered to students electronically and machine graded with real-time feedback. Problems of the Day are covered by instructors during class time and emphasize the acquisition of skills, strategies, and attitudes for heuristic (non-algorithmic) problem solving. Pressure Point Problems, or "P3s," are more difficult, timed problems that help students prepare for exam situations. Because training effective problem solvers is one of our primary goals, we strongly emphasize tackling and understanding the problems associated with each lesson. 
Placing lecture contents online has allowed us to use class time almost exclusively to sharpen students' problem solving abilities. During discussion sessions, students and instructors communicate online through web-based conferencing technology. Using this technology, we are able to run discussion sessions for large numbers of students while maintaining an interactive, engaging learning environment. In all discussion sessions, the emphasis is on student activity and participation.

FAQ

• Will I get a certificate for this course?

  Yes. Students who successfully complete the class will receive a certificate signed by the instructor.

Provided by:

University: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Instructor(s): Jeffrey S. Moore