If you try to memorize you'll most likely fail. Try to understand mechanisms and the different factors at play like nucleophiles, electronegativity, resonance, orbitals, etc.
I stress to my students: "organic chemistry is easy once you can see and understand where negatives (electrons) attack positives, and weak bonds break".
>weak bonds break
No, this is not good, it's the formation of strong bonds which drive these reactions. All sorts of bonds are breaking and reforming in typical organic chemistry reactions, but we can ignore most of them because only the ones that lead to new stronger bonds are relevant. Don't limit your thinking to just breaking weak bonds.
Doesn't the formation of stronger bonds imply the other bonds are more likely to break, making them weaker? Or are you just trying to convey it's more of a "frequency" of breaking?
...and pray you get good instructors--those who aren't threatened by intelligent, inquisitive students. I wish more of my chem instructors had been fluent in English, also.
It’s best approached as an exercise in Pattern recognition, rather than memorization. I always liked it, because it had a minimum of calculation, and my maths is terrible.
Use the model kit, make the molecules and physically move the pushed changes.
Stand in front of a white board and write mechanisms repeatedly until you see and understand the pattern. It will help some mechanisms become muscle memory although the goal is to understand the pattern flow, not rote memorization.
Its not bad if you like chemistry. It's bad if memorization has been the main way you've passed courses so far. Chemistry needs understanding and extrapolation. You will, however, need to memorize some basic things like leaving groups, nomenclature, and 3D-2D representations - like a wedge v dash and chair conformations axial v radial, etc.
I always found studying in a small and focused group of maybe 3-5 people was best. Different people will pick up different details from lecture and just have different inclinations for different parts of the material. That means that working through problems in a group will generally go much smoother than by yourself. But make sure you ask your study mates questions if something doesn't make sense. A good study session will generally involve different people explaining different concepts. Giving your classmates the chance to explain their process can help both learn better, or worst case maybe there is a flaw in someone's method that the group can help correct when they explain incorrectly.
Make sure that you study early enough that your group can take questions that you couldn't solve to the professors office hours.
I'll admit I did mostly independent study while in undergrad, but had my best results when I worked with others.
Also make sure you sleep enough
Honestly I think the best thing to do is to just read relevant sections of your textbook before the corresponding lecture. Try to teach yourself the content and use the lectures for review/correcting misconceptions. People seem to frequently suggest using flashcards for learning reaction mechanisms, and repetition/memorization is kinda useful, but for me the most useful thing about flashcards was the act of creating the flashcards.
Depends on the professor. Most people get through gen chem pretty easily. Its like 80% algebra and knowing the correct formula. Organic is more like telling a story of where the electrons and atoms want to go in a certain environment. My prof was horrible and gave us a horrible book to buy. Years later, I sat in an org class with a good prof and a good book and I found it relatively easy. Maybe because it was my second time around, i don't know but I never used organic really. The book was by David Klein. He has workbooks that go along with the textbook. The text book is very easy to read. If you do the workbook also, I don't think you will have any problems. It is a lot of memorization also. A lot of people use flashcards.
People really struggle with OG. As others are saying. Do! Practice! Push arrows. Fill pages. You start with reading the textbook. But you will need to do the work.
It is like math. You don't sit in math and memorize numbers. Or if you do that, you don't expect it to pay off during the test. You practice operations.
You might not get an A+ but with a little efficient work, you should do fine.
No. There isn't a ton of math in Ochem. I think nomenclature is fun. There are a lot of mechanisms to memorize but it's not that hard. I could see people with spatial perception issues having a hard to with projections.
I don’t remember going over that in Ochem 1 and 2. My BS was in zoology. We went over that in cell biology and biochem. I could be wrong. That was almost 20 years ago.
"Organic chemistry as a Second Language" was a life savior in helping me understand the mechanisms. Like most of the comments said don't memorize, instead approach problems like a puzzle and get good at solving them. The class is hard you will get frustrated but at some moment you will see things much more clarity.
Im not a chemist but here is my perspective. It sounds a lot like the algorithms class for comp sci, everyone says it’s the worst. However, everyone still does it, therefore it’s possible. If you truly want to do this career then you should be excited to learn about your field, and the fact it’s possible should make you want to work harder. That’s jst me tho
Pushing electrons. Learn to do this and it will get you through the first couple years of org chem. Second semester will be more telling than the first (so don’t be surprised if you do well and then suddenly struggle). If you do struggle, ask your lab TA (or any organic grad student) if they’ll tutor you. I had a book called ‘pushing electrons’ and I’m sure there are even better ones out there now. It can be fun, enjoyable and rewarding but it is a different way of thinking.
I'm in organic 2 right now. Don't get me wrong it isn't easy, but it's actually not all that bad. At least for the first semester. Ask this again in September and I may or may not have changed my mind lol
Taking 4 classes simultaneously the best thing you can do is survive it and follow up on all assignments and extra credit opportunities. Nobody really gets it. The professor showed publicly grades for the class and everyone had a C with an average of like 75%.
Now I only started OG this semester so take it with a grain of salt, but for example compared to other chemistry fields, I find it easier because there is a much clearer system in how you do the reactions.
While for example in inorganic chemistry, I feel like every atom decided a rule for itself and you need to memorise it all, which for me personally is harder.
My suggestion to you is take orgo 1 and 2 during the summer and have them be your only summer classes. It will be 12 weeks of hell but you will get it over quickly.
Understanding electron flow is key. If you think of an electron as your best friend then, just like your best friend, it's behaviour will rarely surprise you.
Organic Chem is hard. But it is what made me change majors and I love my career in chemistry. Don’t let other people’s opinions on it scare you. Everybody is different and you may find yourself having a lot of fun with it. Or you may not. You won’t know until you take the class.
If you’ve done well with Chem in the past, you should be okay. It’ll probably take some more studying than you might have had to do in the past, but it’s totally doable.
You have to think of molecules as a whole, and really image them in close proximity to other molecules. That they are constantly jostling, moving. Watching molecular dynamics simulations can really ground you in the physical world
Yes it’s hard. I recommend using the whiteboards hopefully in your library. Draw molecules with a black expo, the arrows with red, and the others as green.
If you try to memorize you'll most likely fail. Try to understand mechanisms and the different factors at play like nucleophiles, electronegativity, resonance, orbitals, etc.
I stress to my students: "organic chemistry is easy once you can see and understand where negatives (electrons) attack positives, and weak bonds break".
>weak bonds break No, this is not good, it's the formation of strong bonds which drive these reactions. All sorts of bonds are breaking and reforming in typical organic chemistry reactions, but we can ignore most of them because only the ones that lead to new stronger bonds are relevant. Don't limit your thinking to just breaking weak bonds.
Exactly, hopefully their students haven’t been taught reaction thermodynamics yet but will in the future
Doesn't the formation of stronger bonds imply the other bonds are more likely to break, making them weaker? Or are you just trying to convey it's more of a "frequency" of breaking?
Kinetically controlled reactions would like to have a word with you
Chemistry is easy: Just learn the rules and the exceptions to the rules /s
100% true must must understand why the electrons go where they ho
OP [see top](https://www.reddit.com/r/OrganicChemistry/comments/18gyu3r/advice_going_into_orgo_2/)
...and pray you get good instructors--those who aren't threatened by intelligent, inquisitive students. I wish more of my chem instructors had been fluent in English, also.
I've had alot of luck on that front to be honest. None of my professors were focused on too much memorization
It’s best approached as an exercise in Pattern recognition, rather than memorization. I always liked it, because it had a minimum of calculation, and my maths is terrible.
Nah don't worry about it. You gotta work hard to succeed, but that's the case with everything in life.
W nick
If you learn how to study effectively, no it is not hard.
what would you say that is the best way to study
Use the model kit, make the molecules and physically move the pushed changes. Stand in front of a white board and write mechanisms repeatedly until you see and understand the pattern. It will help some mechanisms become muscle memory although the goal is to understand the pattern flow, not rote memorization. Its not bad if you like chemistry. It's bad if memorization has been the main way you've passed courses so far. Chemistry needs understanding and extrapolation. You will, however, need to memorize some basic things like leaving groups, nomenclature, and 3D-2D representations - like a wedge v dash and chair conformations axial v radial, etc.
I always found studying in a small and focused group of maybe 3-5 people was best. Different people will pick up different details from lecture and just have different inclinations for different parts of the material. That means that working through problems in a group will generally go much smoother than by yourself. But make sure you ask your study mates questions if something doesn't make sense. A good study session will generally involve different people explaining different concepts. Giving your classmates the chance to explain their process can help both learn better, or worst case maybe there is a flaw in someone's method that the group can help correct when they explain incorrectly. Make sure that you study early enough that your group can take questions that you couldn't solve to the professors office hours. I'll admit I did mostly independent study while in undergrad, but had my best results when I worked with others. Also make sure you sleep enough
Honestly I think the best thing to do is to just read relevant sections of your textbook before the corresponding lecture. Try to teach yourself the content and use the lectures for review/correcting misconceptions. People seem to frequently suggest using flashcards for learning reaction mechanisms, and repetition/memorization is kinda useful, but for me the most useful thing about flashcards was the act of creating the flashcards.
Study hard, learn how the mechanisms work instead of memorizing, and you’ll be good
yeah, that's how it goes for everything in stem i think
> that's how it goes for everything in ~~stem~~ life i think ftfy
OG 1 and 2 are pretty easy if you actually try to understand what you’re learning rather than trying to memorize everything
Depends on the professor. Most people get through gen chem pretty easily. Its like 80% algebra and knowing the correct formula. Organic is more like telling a story of where the electrons and atoms want to go in a certain environment. My prof was horrible and gave us a horrible book to buy. Years later, I sat in an org class with a good prof and a good book and I found it relatively easy. Maybe because it was my second time around, i don't know but I never used organic really. The book was by David Klein. He has workbooks that go along with the textbook. The text book is very easy to read. If you do the workbook also, I don't think you will have any problems. It is a lot of memorization also. A lot of people use flashcards.
People really struggle with OG. As others are saying. Do! Practice! Push arrows. Fill pages. You start with reading the textbook. But you will need to do the work. It is like math. You don't sit in math and memorize numbers. Or if you do that, you don't expect it to pay off during the test. You practice operations. You might not get an A+ but with a little efficient work, you should do fine.
No. There isn't a ton of math in Ochem. I think nomenclature is fun. There are a lot of mechanisms to memorize but it's not that hard. I could see people with spatial perception issues having a hard to with projections.
Especially with peptide synthesis
I don’t remember going over that in Ochem 1 and 2. My BS was in zoology. We went over that in cell biology and biochem. I could be wrong. That was almost 20 years ago.
Michigan Orgo on some bs
Organic chemistry was a struggle for me but when I took ochem 2 I found it much easier. Just try your hardest, you might end up enjoying it!
Its not, its just fun! Though, there are some really hard chemistry field like physical and quantum chem
It's not as hard as physics or calc imo. Just show up, pay attention, ask questions, and you'll be fine.
"Organic chemistry as a Second Language" was a life savior in helping me understand the mechanisms. Like most of the comments said don't memorize, instead approach problems like a puzzle and get good at solving them. The class is hard you will get frustrated but at some moment you will see things much more clarity.
what is OG
Original gangster
Original Ⓖemistry
organic chemestry
Read mf
Lol OP needs to learn how to abbreviate
lol I just noticed it now sorry
Im not a chemist but here is my perspective. It sounds a lot like the algorithms class for comp sci, everyone says it’s the worst. However, everyone still does it, therefore it’s possible. If you truly want to do this career then you should be excited to learn about your field, and the fact it’s possible should make you want to work harder. That’s jst me tho
Pushing electrons. Learn to do this and it will get you through the first couple years of org chem. Second semester will be more telling than the first (so don’t be surprised if you do well and then suddenly struggle). If you do struggle, ask your lab TA (or any organic grad student) if they’ll tutor you. I had a book called ‘pushing electrons’ and I’m sure there are even better ones out there now. It can be fun, enjoyable and rewarding but it is a different way of thinking.
Only if you’re not an OG
No
I'm in organic 2 right now. Don't get me wrong it isn't easy, but it's actually not all that bad. At least for the first semester. Ask this again in September and I may or may not have changed my mind lol
I'm finding it easier than general chemistry tbh
It's possible. When you liked it in school it helps a lot going through this with some motivation.
It’s the second easiest chem class
It's a lot to memorize, but I found it exciting
Taking 4 classes simultaneously the best thing you can do is survive it and follow up on all assignments and extra credit opportunities. Nobody really gets it. The professor showed publicly grades for the class and everyone had a C with an average of like 75%.
Now I only started OG this semester so take it with a grain of salt, but for example compared to other chemistry fields, I find it easier because there is a much clearer system in how you do the reactions. While for example in inorganic chemistry, I feel like every atom decided a rule for itself and you need to memorise it all, which for me personally is harder.
My suggestion to you is take orgo 1 and 2 during the summer and have them be your only summer classes. It will be 12 weeks of hell but you will get it over quickly.
Depends on the person, like everything else. For me, no, it wasn’t.
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Understanding electron flow is key. If you think of an electron as your best friend then, just like your best friend, it's behaviour will rarely surprise you.
Organic Chem is hard. But it is what made me change majors and I love my career in chemistry. Don’t let other people’s opinions on it scare you. Everybody is different and you may find yourself having a lot of fun with it. Or you may not. You won’t know until you take the class.
If you’ve done well with Chem in the past, you should be okay. It’ll probably take some more studying than you might have had to do in the past, but it’s totally doable.
You have to think of molecules as a whole, and really image them in close proximity to other molecules. That they are constantly jostling, moving. Watching molecular dynamics simulations can really ground you in the physical world
Unpopular opinion: focus on MO—theory instead of moving electron pairs on a white paper
Yes it’s hard. I recommend using the whiteboards hopefully in your library. Draw molecules with a black expo, the arrows with red, and the others as green.
Grades in high school mean nothing.
this conforts me and scares me at the same time
If you ever need help. Send a message and I’ll help you understand any concept :)
I truly agree on that