Instructor: Dr. Brian A. O'Brien
Room 303A, Nobel Hall
Tel. 933-7310 (Nobel); 931-3113 (home)
e-mail: bobrien@gac.edu
web: http://www.gac.edu/~bobrien

Office hours: The most convenient times are just after class (ca. 10:00-11:30) or on Thursday afternoons. I can be available for discussions at other times as well, as necessary. I make one exception with regard to my availability: the hour immediately preceding class is not a good time for extended discussions.

Textbook: Organic Chemistry, by William H. Brown and Christopher S. Foote; Saunders, 1998.

Homework: I will make assignments of an appropriate selection of homework problems as we cover each topic. You should work the assigned homework problems on a regular schedule, rather than trying to do all of them a short time before you are tested over the material. You will find that your understanding of topics covered in class is greatly enhanced by work on the homework before the topic is covered in class. This effect applies even to those problems which you find to be intractable. Any questions which you have relative to the homework problems are welcome as topics for discussion during or outside of class.

Grading System:

Four one-period tests, one grade dropped .......................... 60%
Comprehensive final examination ....................................... 15%
Laboratory.......................................................................... 25%

If your grade on the final examination is higher than your test average, the final grade will be calculated on a basis of 50% and 25%, respectively.

The test dates are: September 24 (Friday), October 15 (Friday), November 5 (Friday), and November 22 (Monday). The final examination will be given on Wednesday, December 15, 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Model Sets: If you do not have a set of molecular models, I strongly urge you to purchase one. You may use your model sets during tests.

Course Coverage:

The course will begin with a brief review of ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. New topics to be covered are briefly described below.

TOPIC                                                                                                                    Text Chapter(s)
¹³C NMR spectroscopy ................................................................................................... 13.13-13.15
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Chemistry of alkynes - compounds that contain carbon-carbon triple bonds ................ 10
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Chemistry of aldehydes [R-CH(=O)] and ketones (R₂C=O) ......................................... 15
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Preparation, reactivity, and biochemistry
of carboxylic acids [R-C(=O)OH] and their derivatives ............................................. 16, 17
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Acid-base chemistry of aldehydes and ketones:
enols, enolates, enamines, and condensation reactions ............................................... 18
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Chemistry of benzene and its derivatives: aromaticity. chemistry of phenols,
aryl ethers, and benzylic compounds .......................................................................... 19
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Chemistry of benzene and its derivatives: ring-substitution reactions ......................... 20
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Organic analogs of ammonia:
chemistry of aliphatic and aromatic amines (RNH₂, R₂NH, R₃N) .............................. 21
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Conjugated dienes: compounds that have alternating double
and single carbon-carbon bonds .................................................................................. 22