Exam Tip: Don’t just bring your model kit – USE it!
Here’s something I don’t understand. Well, that’s not true – it’s something I understand, but I think is… unwise. Bringing a model kit to an
Read moreOrganic Chemistry Study Tips
Is Orgo Hard?
Yes. Let’s skip past the anecdotes, as entertaining as they may be, and move right through to a more detailed analysis. Here’s why: 1) There
Read moreOrganic Chemistry Study Tips: Learn the Trends
When studying for organic chemistry, knowing the relationships between properties is more important than learning facts by rote.
Read moreNucleophile attacks Electrophile
Pretty much every reaction in organic chemistry boils down to “nucleophile attacks electrophile”.
Read moreA simple trick: The (R)-(S) Toggle
Instead of redrawing the whole molecule, just leave the hydrogen (or other 4th ranked substituent) in front and figure out whether the substituents ranked 1,2, and 3 go clockwise or counterclockwise. Then toggle (i.e. reverse direction CW to CCW or vice versa) to account for the fact that the 4th ranked substituent is in the front, and assign (R) or (S) based on that. You end up with the same answer without having to redraw anything.
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