Freshman Organic Chemistry II with Professor J. Michael McBride

This is a continuation of Freshman Organic Chemistry I (CHEM 125a), the introductory course on current theories of structure and mechanism in organic chemistry for students with excellent preparation in chemistry and physics. This semester treats simple and complex reaction mechanisms, spectroscopy, organic synthesis, and some molecules of nature.

  1. Mechanism: How Energies and Kinetic Order Influence Reaction Rates

  2. Peculiar Rate Laws, Bond Dissociation Energies, and Relative Reactivities

  3. Rate and Selectivity in Radical-Chain Reactions

  4. Electronegativity, Bond Strength, Electrostatics, and Non-Bonded Interactions

  5. Solvation, H-Bonding, and Ionophores

  6. Brønsted Acidity and the Generality of Nucleophilic Substitution

  7. Nucleophilic Substitution Tools - Stereochemistry, Rate Law, Substrate, Nucleophile, Leaving Group

  8. Solvent, Leaving Group, Bridgehead Substitution, and Pentavalent Carbon

  9. Pentavalent Carbon? E2, SN1, E1

  10. Cation Intermediates – Alkenes: Formation, Addition, and Stability

  11. Carbocations and the Mechanism of Electrophilic Addition to Alkenes and Alkynes

  12. Nucleophilic Participation During Electrophilic Addition to Alkenes: Halogen, Carbene, and Borane

  13. Addition to Form Three-Membered Rings: Carbenoids and Epoxidation

  14. Epoxide Opening, Dipolar Cycloaddition, and Ozonolysis

  15. Metals and Catalysis in Alkene Oxidation, Hydrogenation, Metathesis, and Polymerization

  16. Isoprenoids, Rubber, and Tuning Polymer Properties

  17. Alkynes; Conjugation in Allylic Intermediates and Dienes

  18. Linear and Cyclic Conjugation Theory; 4n+2 Aromaticity

  19. Aromatic Transition States: Cycloaddition and Electrocyclic Reactions

  20. Electronic and Vibrational Spectroscopy

  21. Functional Groups and Fingerprints in IR Spectroscopy; Precession of Magnetic Nuclei

  22. Medical MRI and Chemical NMR

  23. Diamagnetic Anisotropy and Spin-Spin Splitting

  24. Higher-Order Effects, Dynamics, and the NMR Time Scale

  25. C-13 and 2D NMR – Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution

  26. Aromatic Substitution in Synthesis: Friedel-Crafts and Moses Gomberg

  27. Triphenylmethyl and an Introduction to Carbonyl Chemistry

  28. Mechanism and Equilibrium of Carbonyl Reactions

  29. Imines and Enamines; Oxidation and Reduction

  30. Oxidation States and Mechanisms

  31. Periodate Cleavage, Retrosynthesis, and Green Chemistry

  32. Measuring Bond Energies: Guest Lecture by Prof. G. Barney Ellison

  33. Green Chemistry; Acids and Acid Derivatives

  34. Acids and Acid Derivatives

  35. Acyl Insertions and α-Reactivity

  36. α-Reactivity and Condensation Reactions

  37. Proving the Configuration of Glucose and Synthesizing Two Unnatural Products

  38. Review: Synthesis of Cortisone