ORGANIC CHEMISTRY SECRETS

Reading organic chemistry is challenging and becomes more challenging for those reading it for their first time alone and those that detest reading but it can be fun when you understand how to function with its rhythms. We are going to explain to you the strategies that you can use to get an excellent mastery of organic chemistry for life.

WHAT IS ORGANIC CHEMISTRY (OVERVIEW)

 

You cannot understand what you do not know so let us give a brief overview

In summary organic chemistry is the studies of carbon compounds (without including carbon oxides, carbines and carbonates) and the chemical reactions that they can undergo.

That is what you need to know about organic chemistry basic. The fact that there are reactions they need to undergo and the conditions needed for, the reaction to take place.

Now you know what organic chemistry is, and you must have learned how to name organic compounds from Form 5, the next thing you need understand is what is required of you to know for advanced levels. This includes the different group of compounds that could be, formed from Carbon and hydrogen and some elements. These groups have been listen in the textbook written by Ngulle Emmanuel according to increasing ease of understanding. Once you have had the basic secrets explained, you can at this point read the groups in descending order of the list below

•  Alkanes 
• Alkenes
• Alkynes
• Halogenoalkanes (haloalkanes)
• Benzene and derivatives
• Alcohol
• Ketones
• Aldehydes
• Carboxylic acid
• Esters
• Amides and amines
• Synthetic route 

 

N.B: 

the truth is that you cannot skip all of this to understand synthetic route. 

Many people try that but it rings more confusion because they do not know why the reactions go the way they go. Even some teachers miss this. 

• When reading each group, note their peculiarity, detect if they are saturated compounds (no double or triple bond) or not. 
• Draw your own synthetic route while reading. Taking the reaction conditions into consideration and try to write the mechanism in which that reaction can be like that. 
• Notice that most organic reactions will be coursing around the different organic families so understand and always revise them because they are your synthetic routes already.
• Note if the reaction is an addition reaction or not, if not, determine the type of reaction.
• All compounds that are saturated cant undergo addition reaction because they do not have any free electron to bind to it. Therefore, they can undergo substitution reactions and elimination reactions.

REACTION TYPES IN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

All the reactions you will see in organic chemistry fall under one of these classes and it should be your exercise from today to identify the type of reaction that any organic species is undergoing when writing down a reaction.

• Addition reaction : the overall number of elements of the product is more than the individual reactant
• Elimination reaction : the overall number of elements of the product is less than the individual reactants
• Substitution reaction: an element or compound is substituted for another element or compound 
• Redox reaction (in some cases, it is a reduction oxidation kind of organic reaction.)

These above reaction types often occur because there is an interaction with a particular species of element or compound that can, either be positively charged or negatively charged. Thus these reactions are said to be undergoing based on the species that is been added or subtracted or eliminated,

1. Free radical reaction (chaired electron pair between two species of element)
2. Electrophilic (electron loving, meaning they are positively charged)
3. Nucleophilic (nucleus loving, meaning they are negatively charged) 

HOW ARE THE GROUPS CLASSIFIED

1. According to functional groups example alcohols, aldehydes, carboxylic acids
2. As aliphatic compound (chains) example alkanes, alkenes and alkynes
3. As aromatic compounds (rings) example Benzene and Methylbenzene (Toluene)

Once you are able to understand this, you simply have to learn reaction mechanisms and you are done with the basics. With it, you can manipulate all organic chemistry concepts with no challenge. 

USES OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

1. It is, needed for the synthesis of drugs
2. Used as chemicals in insecticides
3. Used as sweeteners 
4. Used to produce dyes
5. Used in the manufacturing of explosives (ketone)
6. Used in hormone production

TIPS

1. When you see a product that contains aliphatic chlorine binding, e.g. CH 3 CH 2 Cl, it was from an aliphatic binding like CH3CH3, and you are, asked to write the reaction condition, PCl5 or Cl2 in the presence of UV light, is the answer. Moreover, it is a substitution reaction. The release of Chlorine will give rise to a white precipitate
2. If it was an unsaturated compound like CH2CH2 and the product is CH3CH2Cl then there was an addition reaction and you can clearly see that they reached with HCl
3. Oxidation reactions often occur between alcohols, aldehydes, ketones and Carboxylic acid with just the same oxidizing agent giving the products
4. Primary alcohols can be converted to aldehydes by an oxidizing agent like KMno4 or KCr2O72- and in excess oxidizing agent, the aldehyde is converted to Carboxylic acid
5. Secondary alcohols can be converted to ketones but ketones cannot undergo further oxidation
6. Aromatic hydrocarbons like benzene and methylbenzene undergo Fridelcraft alkylation and Fridelcraft Acylation but aliphatic hydrocarbons do not.

Just to give you few tips in a broad way but we believe that you have learned something new even if it was a repetition and you are going to apply the little tricks to understand faster. Share with friends of different schools and regions and don't forget to ask your questions on the comment section below.