How to study organic chemistry2.4.1 Sports analogy
You can think of the different elements^10 and functional groups^11 as players in a game and
the organic reactions^12 as the plays. Just as each player or team has different strengths
or characteristics and uses strategies to achieve what they want, organic chemists use the
properties of each chemical to play off the others in order to achieve a desired end result.
2.4.2 Language analogy
You can also think of organic chemistry like learning a foreign language. The atoms, for
example, carbon and hydrogen and oxygen and nitrogen, are the letters of the alphabet.
The structural theory of organic chemistry, namely, the tetravalencey of carbon, may be
considered the essential underlying grammatical rule. All organic compounds are assembled
under these grammatical rules, and may be considered words. The reactions of organic
compounds may be perceived as the assembly of these words into sentences. A language
analogy is also useful at this point, because the grammatical rules that control the assembly
of sentences (formation of the products of organic reactions!) may be found in the study of
organic reaction mechanisms.
Therefore, itisnotnecessarytomemorizeindividualreactions. Overallpatternsofreactivity
become obvious when the mechanism of the reaction is investigated. Moreover, like any
language, you have to practice it constantly. The more you ”read” and ”speak” chemical
reactions and understand the mechanisms by which they proceed, the more fluent you will
become. When you finish organic chemistry, you will literally be able to read, write, and
speak in a foreign language. However, it is important to note that the language of organic
chemistry is far simpler than any language people use for general communication! The
words mean exactly what they mean, and the basic rules almost never change. But organic
chemistry is far from a dead science. In fact, it is one of the most active and rapidly
advancing areas in modern science today.
Research produces new knowledge, and the potential to formulate new rules. Perhaps you
will make some of these discoveries, and future students will refer to your rules.
10 http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Element
11 http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_group
12 http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_reaction