Organic Chemistry SEMESTER 1 Resources

Here you will find information about the various resources that you can use prior to and during Chem 222! Clicking on the links below will take you to the section on that type of resource.

Welcome!

Congratulations on completing your first chemistry course at Haverford! As your prepare for your next year, you might be wondering if there are ways you can prepare for organic chemistry (aka: "orgo"). Fortunately, there are multiple resources that can help you in preparing fundamental skills for this course, and this page walks through them. 

Preparation for Chemistry 222

If you're feeling nervous about organic chemistry, you're definitely not alone. Organic chemistry will be challenging, but there are ways to boost your confidence and feel more comfortable with the material even before the course begins! Below are a set of print and electronic resources that you might find useful in your preparations for this course. 

Note: All of the resources listed below are optional and not required prior to beginning Chem 222. Please do not feel like you need to go through all of the resources below prior to starting the course. They are only meant as a source of review for Chem 111/113/115 material that is relevant to Chem 222 if you are interested.

Haverford Chem 222 Resources

It turns out that there is already a pre-made Moodle site generated by your organic chemistry professors.  The link to this site is posted below, just make sure to use your Haverford username and password to gain access.

Note: This site is currently being updated, so you might see some overlap between this page and the Moodle site. 

Below are some Google doc files provided by Karin Åkerfeldt in her Fall 2020 Chemistry 222 course. While the exact order of topics might be different from year to year, these resources can still be helpful in reviewing fundamental topics including organic nomenclature, hybridization, and stereochemistry. 

Chem 222 Prep Notes from Karin for Fall 2020

Overview of resources

Study guides and keys for specific topics

Print Resources

Luckily, your main textbook for the year will be an online E-text, so you won't have to worry about lugging around hardcopy textbooks.  See the Electronic Resources section for more information about your main textbook. 

One set of short supplementary textbooks you might consider are listed below, and are a student favorite!

David Klein's text "Organic Chemistry as a Second Language" can be a helpful resource as you review some of the topics you covered in Chem 111/113/115. It offers an easy-to-read and engaging overview of fundamental topics that can improve your confidence for Chem 222.

Organic Chemistry as a second language textbook

Organic Chemistry as a Second Language First Semester Topics

Want to brush up on some content from Chem 111/113? Here are some helpful chapters that you might check out:

Organic Chemistry as a second language textbook

Organic Chemistry as a Second Language Second Semester Topics

Even though this book is "second semester" topics, it still includes some information that you'll cover in Chem 222! Here are some helpful chapters:

Electronic Resources

Below are some helpful electronic resources that you might check out. 

Organic Chemistry with a biological emphasis by Tim Soderberg

Organic Chemistry with a Biological Emphasis by Tim Soderberg

Here is your main textbook, which is set up a little differently than your prior chemistry textbooks because it is all online. This is a free resource on the "Chemistry LibreTexts" website. It might take some time to get used to the online mechanics, so here are some links to the main page and the first chapter if you'd like to get a head start:

Chemistry Student Group (CSG): The CSG provides multiple resources that might be helpful during your preparation, including a Student Guide, strategies for lecture and lab. Click here to see other resources offered by the CSG.


Video Resources

Video Resources

Here are some links to videos that might be helpful:


Professor Dave Explains: This video channel offers 2 useful segments: Content Review and Practice Problems. These are bite-sized reviews of fundamental topics in organic chemistry. The link on the left takes you to a video on organic nomenclature, which you might remember from Chem 111/113. 

Here are some helpful videos to check out in each series.

Content Review: 


Practice Problems:

Remember that these are only suggestions. Feel free to explore more videos based on your own preferences!

The Organic Chemistry Tutor: This video series discusses fundamental topics in organic chemistry and includes multiple example problems for practice. 

Here are some helpful videos to check out: 

Khan Academy: This source offers helpful resources for organic chemistry topics that you covered in Chem 111/113/115. See below for sections to check out:

Structure and Bonding:


Alkanes, Cycloalkanes, and Functional Groups:



Stereochemistry:





Phone Apps

Phone apps

Looking for a quick and easy way to review organic chemistry topics? Below are some free Apple apps that can help you review organic nomenclature and fundamental concepts. 

Chemical Nomenclature apps

Chemical Nomenclature 

Looking for a quick brush-up on some organic nomenclature? Here is a free phone app that can quiz you on key structures!

Type "Chemical Nomenclature" in the app store  

Organic Chemistry Flashcards app

Awesome Organic Chemistry Flashcards

Here is another free phone app that tests you on fundamental organic chemistry concepts. As shown above, you can pick and choose topics that you want to review. 

Type "Awesome Organic Chemistry Flashcards" in the app store

Note: Don't worry too much about the "reaction" topics yet, you'll cover those more in Chem 222!

Erlenmeyer Flask

Laboratory Resources

Interested in reviewing key lab techniques that you'll use in Chem 222? See below for some helpful resources.

Video Resources: MIT Open Course provides free videos that review fundamental organic chemistry lab techniques. 

After clicking on the above link, here are a few videos to check out:

Note: Don't worry if the TLC steps are confusing at first. You'll perform these techniques frequently and get comfortable with them in lab!


Excel Sheets

Excel Tutorial

After performing experiments, you'll need to analyze your data. One tool that you will often use is Excel, a spreadsheet program. Below are some helpful tutorials that introduce the program. Feel free to follow along on your computer through the examples!





Google Sheets

Do you prefer Google Sheets over Excel? If so, here are some video tutorials that describe how to visualize data in Google Sheets. 





The Chemistry Solution 

This video channel provides example problems to practice unit conversions and math calculations such as those listed below:

NMR machine
Zotero

Interested in learning about lab equipment? Visit the Lab Tech and Software page on this website to learn more!

After clicking on the above link, here are some tabs that you can check out:

Note: Don't worry about downloading the above software prior to starting the course. The professors and TAs will be happy to help with this process during the course. 

Sources: 

Klein Organic Chemistry First Semester: https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Chemistry-As-Second-Language/dp/1119110661

Klein Organic Chemistry Second Semester: https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Chemistry-As-Second-Language/dp/1119110661

Soderberg online text: https://www.lulu.com/en/ca/shop/tim-soderberg/organic-chemistry-with-a-biological-emphasis-volume-i/paperback/product-1jz6e8e6.html

Video lecture: https://www.3playmedia.com/blog/best-practices-for-recording-and-captioning-lecture-content/

Apple icon: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3513799/apples-app-store-generates-1b-a-week.html

Chemical Nomenclature app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/chemical-nomenclature/id1377413230

Awesome Organic Chemistry Flashcards app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/awesome-organic-chemistry-flashcards/id1225766374

Khan Academy logo: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/organic-chemistry/stereochemistry-topic/chirality-r-s-system/v/introduction-to-chirality?modal=1

All linked videos are sourced from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/

Erlenmeyer flask: https://www.freepik.com/premium-photo/erlenmeyer-flask-conical-flask-glassware-chemistry-laboratory_9125476.htm

MIT Open Course: https://ocw.mit.edu/resources/res-5-0001-digital-lab-techniques-manual-spring-2007/videos/

Excel logo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Excel

IR Spectrophotometer: https://www.ssi.shimadzu.com/products/ftir-spectrophotometers/iraffinity-1s.html

Zotero logo: https://www.zotero.org/support/brand


Page created by Max Stempel '21 -- Fall 2020