Which Cyclohexane Chair Is Of Lower Energy?
In the last post, we introduced A values and said they were a useful tool for determining which groups are “bulkiest” on a cyclohexane ring.
Read morestability
3 Factors That Stabilize Free Radicals
In the last post we introduced free radicals – neutral, electron-deficient chemical species with a partially filled orbital – and learned that they are highly
Read moreIntroduction to Acid-Base Reactions
Following up on the 4 major classes of reactions you encounter in Org 1, let’s look at the first of those four: acid base reactions.
Read moreWalkthrough of Acid Base Reactions (1)
Now that we’ve described how to figure out where the electrons are in a molecule, the factors that stabilize negative charge and positive charge, and
Read moreWalkthrough of Acid Base Reactions (2): Basicity
Last time I started writing about acid-base reactions. We looked at this list of stabilities of anions going across the topmost row of the periodic
Read moreWalkthrough of Acid-Base Reactions (3) – Acidity Trends
Let’s review what’s been talked about so far in this series on acid-base reactions: An acid base reaction involves the donation of a proton (H+)
Read moreHow to Use a pKa Table
Today we’ll talk about an incredibly important skill that might take some time to grasp but pays tremendous dividends. We’ll go through the exact details of how to use a pKa table. Understanding the proper use of a pKa table will give you the ability to recognize which acid-base reactions will happen and which will not. This will come up a lot as you progress through Org 1 and Org 2. It might be helpful to go back and review some of the factors that affect acidity that were talked about earlier.
Read moreThe pKa Table Is Your Friend
The importance of pKas in organic chemistry can’t be overestimated, in my opinion. Not knowing pKa’s in organic chemistry is like not knowing the value
Read more3 Factors That Stabilize Carbocations
Three main factors increase the stability of carbocations: Increasing the number of adjacent carbon atoms: methyl (least stable carbocation) < primary < secondary < tertiary (most
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