Topic 28: Organic Reactions - Chemical Reactions and Equations

28.1What distinguishes the three types of organic processes: substitution, elimination, and addition?
 
28.2What does the suffix “lysis” mean the context of chemical reactions? How about in biology or biochemistry? How about in the word analysis?
 
28.3What is the difference between homolysis and heterolysis.
 
28.4Why does all bond formation necessarily release energy, and, likewise, all bond breaking necessarily require energy?
 

Topic 29: Organic Reactions - Mechanisms

29.1What are two or three characteristics of a mechanism, as described in general chemistry?
 
29.2What is a mechanistic step?
 
29.3What do the terms unimolecular and bimolecular mean?
 
29.4What does reversible mean in relation to a mechanistic step? In relation to equilibrium?
 

Topic 30: Organic Reactions - Reaction Energy Diagrams

30.1Why is it critical to balance all chemical equations (including mechanistic steps) both in terms of elements and charge?
 
30.2What is the relationship between a reaction energy diagram and a mechanism?
 
30.3Why is it critical to balance mechanistic steps of a reaction energy diagram just like we do chemical equations?
 
30.4What does an upward vertical arrow mean (or supposed to mean) on an energy diagram? Downward?
 
30.5What does this have to do with Hess‘s Law?
 
30.6What is the energy required to reach the transition state of a mechanistic step called?
 
30.7When a multi-step mechanism is diagrammed, how do you know which step is the rate-determining step?
 
30.8What are the four principal ways energy can be stored in molecules? [Hint: t, r,v, e] Which of these is most relevant to breaking bonds? To transferring energy among molecules?
 
30.9How is a reaction energy diagram similar to a vibrational energy well?
 
17 questions
364 questions for Organic I

364 Questions for Organic I

Dearest Student. This web page is a set of questions I call Detailed Intended Learning Outcomes For Organic Chemistry (Part I). Some time ago I asked myself, "Bob, what do you think are the key questions that you hope students will be able to answer after taking Chemistry 247 at St. Olaf College?" So here you have them. Some are very simple; some require more thought. All are good questions to be thinking about as you read, discuss, and master the practical aspects of organic chemistry. They are discussion starters and review tips. There are no answers here (though there are some clues). The questions are here to help you focus on what's important (to me, at least!) and organize your learning process. The questions are grouped into topics. Bite-size chunks. Take them a few at a time. Don't feast on them all at one sitting!

(preliminary version 2021.01.15 feeback: Bob Hanson)