what's organic chemistry like?

Question

If I am doing good in biology, chem, and physics. Will I be ok for organic chemistry?

Answer 1

It depends on the school, the professor, and what level of organic chemistry you will be taking.

It tends to go like this:

The introductory organic chemistry classes usually involve little to no calculation. You learn to name molecules and then you learn what molecules will react with what other molecules to form what products. You can learn principles which tie many reactions together, and this helps, but the classes still involve a lot of straight memorization. The "organic" part signifies that most time is spent dealing with carbon chains that have non-metallic compounds sticking off of them.

Common organic chemistry questions:

-What is the name of this molecule?
-Here is the name of a molecule. Now draw the molecule.
-Which carbon atoms will be chiral centers in this molecule?
-If I mix reagent A with reagent B, what will happen?
-What solvent do you use to complete this reaction?
-Synthesize the following molecule (on paper) using just these reagents.

Classes also involve some imaging techniques most of the time. These often include basic nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy. Maybe ultriviolet spectroscopy also.

I liked the classes and thought they were more challenging than introductory biology, chemistry, and physics. There are certainly classes which are more challenging, but people did sometimes walk out of exams crying.

Good luck and enjoy.

Answer 2

Im a chemical engineering student, and organic chemistry is preety simple, everything's about learning certain rules at the beginning and of course every funcional group, and then off you go.

It gets kind of hard if you're trying to explain certain reaction mechanisms 'cause, you have to explain with arrows the movement of electrons... but its preety simple.

Answer 3

Organic chemistry is a specific discipline within the subject of chemistry. It is the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation (by synthesis or by other means) of chemical compounds consisting of primarily carbon and hydrogen, which may contain any number of other elements, including nitrogen, oxygen, halogens as well as phosphorus and sulfur.
The original definition of organic chemistry came from the misperception that these compounds were always related to life processes, but now it is known that life also depends heavily on inorganic chemistry; for example, many enzymes rely on transition metals such as iron and copper; and materials such as shells, teeth and bones are part organic, part inorganic in composition. Inorganic chemistry deals, apart from elemental carbon, only with simple carbon compounds, with molecular structures which do not contain carbon to carbon connections (its oxides, acids, salts, carbides, and minerals). This does not mean that single-carbon organic compounds do not exist (viz. methane and its simple derivatives). Compounds that are related to life processes are dealt with in the branch of chemistry which is called biochemistry.

Because of their unique properties, multi-carbon compounds exhibit extremely large variety and the range of application of organic compounds is enormous. They form the basis of, or are important constituents of many products (paints, plastics, food, explosives, drugs, petrochemicals, and many others) and of course (apart from a very few exceptions) they form the basis of all life processes.

The different shapes and chemical reactivities of organic molecules provide an astonishing variety of functions, like those of enzyme catalysts in biochemical reactions of live systems. The autopropagating nature of these organic chemicals is what life is all about.

Because of the special properties of carbon, it is likely that life on other star systems will be found to be carbon-based, in spite of speculations about the possibility of substituting silicon, which lies just below carbon in the periodic table.

Trends in organic chemistry include chiral synthesis, green chemistry, microwave chemistry, fullerenes and microwave spectroscopy.

Answer 4

organic chemistry is quite challenging but once u get the hang of it, it becomes ok. it gives u a lot to think and u can further go into drug design.
i did 4 different modules at university level and they were all quite interesting.

Answer 5

My son who is taking this class at Milikin university said it is just like regular chemistry except everything is based on carbon

Answer 6

organic and organic is meant to be complicated ... I controlled to ward off taking it .... yet i could say in case you think of which you would be able to get right into a learn team and pass the class regardless then i could purely take the class and get it out of ways... good success