Organic chemistry preparation

Question

I'm just about to finish my third quarter of general chemistry this summer and I'm planning to sign up for my first of three organic chemistry courses in the fall. I wondered if anyone had any tips or suggestions to offer, particularly the must-know concepts from gen chem. What are the concepts you wished you'd brushed up on or fell back on the most in your organic series? It seems like a blur sometimes and I find I can't recall the details of some of the things we've covered in the past!

If it helps I'm a biology major with a cell emphasis. My interests in bio are pretty broad, some of my favorite areas are microbiology, cell communication & hormonal coordination, neurobiology and immunology. I'm probably going to pick up a chemistry minor which only requires one or two courses in molecular biology and biochemistry in addition to the chem classes already required for the bio major.

I'll have about 6 weeks between the end of summer classes and the start of fall quarter and I hope to use some of that time to brush up on my chemistry and bio for the fall. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

You sound just like me!  I'm about to graduate in December with a B.S. in biology and a minor in chemistry.  As far as organic goes...get used to not having a life, lol!  No, it's not that bad.  There's really not much in general chemistry that will help you with organic...from what I can remember, just knowing how to convert grams to moles and percent yield calcs for the lab portion of the class. As far as theory goes...organic is sooooooo different from general chem.  In organic, you have to learn how the reaction takes place and be able to visualize the molecules reacting in your head.  It sounds crazy but it can help especially during tests.  A model kit may be helpful, but I didn't use one.  And, as silly as it sounds, Organic Chemistry for Dummies can help you if you need the concepts simplified.  One of my best study tips was just to write out reaction mechanisms over and over again until I was seeing them in my dreams.  If you need help, send me an email!  Good luck!

Answer 2

pKa, thermodynamics, atomic trends, bonding, hybridization, lewis structures, and chemical kinetics and equilibrium. you need to learn the concepts like the back of your hand, you really dont need to know how to do any calculations. in fact, you wont even use a calculator in organic. those concepts are really the driving forces in reactions, and determine in the first place if the reaction is going to take place or not.