Succeeding in Organic Chemistry
A Systematic Problem-Solving Approach to Mastering Structure, Function and Mechanism
by
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v Create and Use an Effective Study Environment
Having a sound study plan that considers both your environment and study session is essential for success. Study in surroundings that are free from distractions, yet comfortable enough to enable you to focus. Noises, sights and interruptions can make studying less productive, so try to reduce those to a minimum. While soothing music playing on the Ipod may help some to focus, it’s not for everyone. You must determine what works best for you. Last, gather all the materials you need to study before you begin so that you won’t have to stop to find them.
Plan to study the material for the day’s lesson while you are fresh and can devote sufficient time to the task. A good rule of thumb is that you should spend about 1-1½ hours of quality study time for each hour of lecture. Once your environment is set, you will find your study efforts are maximized if you maintain a high level of internal commitment. Your study of organic chemistry includes how you approach both in-class lecture and out-of-class study.
v Study organic chemistry using the review, read and practice, preview technique.
o Review - First, go over the last day’s lesson by reviewing your lecture notes, the
pictures and diagrams from the reading material for that lesson, and the problems you worked that amplify the material. Taking about 10-15 minutes to do this will help solidify important concepts emphasized by your professor during lecture and help you discover the relationship between this and the next lesson.
o Read and Practice - Once you have refreshed yourself, begin studying the
upcoming lesson by reviewing the lesson outline while scanning the section of text to identify the major points. A common mistake beginning organic chemistry students often make is to read straight through the text highlighting every single passage. Rather, as you scan, consider diagrams, tables and figures first, as these are often used by authors to illustrate key concepts and trends discussed in the body of the text. Unless you understand them, you miss out on an important part of learning organic chemistry – the ability to recognize analogies that help you grasp concepts beyond the material you are presently covering. If online guides, a CD-ROM, your modeling kit or other supplementary learning aids are available to help you understand the material, this is the time to use them.
After you have gleaned the author’s main points in the pictures, graphs and tables, begin critically reading the text material, to clarify those topics that you may not have understood fully, highlighting the important areas. Simultaneously, work example problems as you cover the portion of the reading that concerns them. Like diagrams and tables, authors use these problems to illustrate important points brought out in the text. Solving these problems (which usually contain the solutions) provides a check on your level of understanding. If you find your answer does not agree with the author, re-read the portion of the text that explain
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About the Book
This text is specifically designed to help introductory Organic Chemistry students understand the fundamental concepts covered in undergraduate organic chemistry. The purpose of this book is three-fold: to explode the misconceptions and misgivings that are prevalent regarding this vast subject, provide additional insight for students on a number of concepts essential to mastery of organic chemistry, and explore alternative learning strategies to assist the beginning organic chemistry student in applying a specialized problem solving technique which centers on structure, function and a mechanistic approach. Examples of key chemical transformations are dissected and analyzed to assist students in improving their problem-solving skills. Each chapter contains a number of additional problems and the solutions to those problems are provided at the end of each chapter.See more information about the book at www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sqIcQdhB0s.
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed101161cAbout the Author
Dr. Sloop, a North Carolina native, completed requirements for his B. S. degree with Special Attainments in Chemistry from Davidson College under the direction of Dr. Felix Carroll in organic photochemistry in 1983. He was commissioned into the U. S. Army Chemical Corps upon graduation. He then attended North Carolina State University (NCSU), completing work toward a Master’s degree in Chemistry in fluorinated heterocycle synthesis under the direction of Dr. Carl Bumgardner. He joined the faculty of the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point in 1990, where he taught general and organic chemistry. From 1994 -1996, he taught organic chemistry and environmental toxicology at Drury College, Fort Leonard Wood campus. In 2000, he was selected by the U. S. Army for doctoral training and returned to NCSU where he completed requirements for a Ph.D. under the direction of Dr. David Shultz in organic magnetochemistry. Upon graduation, Dr. Sloop rejoined the USMA faculty at West Point in 2003, teaching organic chemistry and directing the undergraduate research program for the Department of Chemistry and Life Science until 2009. Upon his retirement from military service, Dr. Sloop accepted a position as Associate Professor in the School of Science and Technology at Georgia Gwinnett College, where he currently teaches a variety of chemistry courses. He is the recipient of several teaching and research awards with many scientific and science education papers to his credit as well as contributing author to the 2007 text entitled Fluorine Chemistry Research Advances.