Topic 9: Organic Compounds - Physical Properties and Reactivity

9.1Explain each of the following terms, describe the principles behind them, and rank them in order of increasing strength: Van der Waals forces, dipole-dipole interactions, hydrogen bonding, ionic bonding.
 
9.2What is polarizability? And what is its relevance to organic chemistry?
 
9.3Explain trends in boiling point relative to:
(a)number of carbon atoms in hydrocarbons
(b)branching in hydrocarbons
(c)addition of all-carbon bonded heteroatoms to a hydrocarbon structure
(d)addition of heteroatoms that are also bonded to hydrogen

 
9.4How is solubility in water related to the structure of organic compounds and ions?
 
9.5How is solubility in ethyl ether related to the structure of organic compounds and ions?
 
9.6Rank the following list of solvents from “nonpolar” to “very polar”: acetone, ethanol, ethyl ether, hexane, water. Why such a difference?
 
9.7What does it mean for a reactive site to be nucleophilic? Give three examples.
 
9.8What does it mean for a reactive site to be electrophilic? Give two examples.
 
8 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)