organic chemistry notes
i was really bad in organic chem in high school and gave up that entirely but the weightage in college is so great so i cant do that!! initially i took really long to understand the reactions but with practice i improved a lot that even my teacher noticed !! with this, im sure all of you struggling with this chunky topic will manage better too!!
pre-studying:
⋆ have a positive mindset !! tell yourself organic chemistry isn’t hard !! you can do it with practice!
⋆ always remember to work in parts not cram before an exam, dedicating time for every functional group.
⋆ if u have a syllabus document like a level’s always make sure to check what you are required to know first !!
tip 1. do mindmaps first
its always useful to have a mindmap for each functional group, including the below:
⋆ reactions it undergoes / name ( colour coding for different reaction type ! )
⋆ reagent and conditions required ( also to compare across functional groups as they might undergo same reaction type but different conditions eg. both alkenes and carboxylic acids undergo reduction but-alkene: H2, Ni catalyst, heatR-COOH: LiAlH4, dry ether )
⋆ equations of reactions + mechanism ( note which are reversible, ⇌ and irreversible, → )
⋆ observations ( color changes are very important for distinguishing test eg. if oxidation occurs w acidified kmno4, purple mno4^2- ions will be decolourised to mn^2+ ions )
tip 2. practice, review, practice !
practicing helps you to check your understanding of the concepts and how well you know your reagents ! take extra notes if your explanations for why the reaction occur in a specific way etc
hopefully you’ve learnt some tips to do better in organic chemistry !! its a easy topic if you put enough time and effort !! if u take a levels too or want to to delve in deeper into certain functional groups just drop me an ask !
this is inspired by @determinationandcaffeine‘s post !!
