About Advanced Organic Chemistry

This elective course is a structured independent study in organic chemistry.  The primary goal for this course is to allow students to pursue the more advanced topics contained in the second semester of undergraduate organic chemistry.  A secondary goal for this course is to cultivate skills in self-directed learning and mentorship of other students.  If the course succeeds for the student, he or she will leave with a comprehensive knowledge of organic chemistry, sufficient for most pre-professional programs in the biological and chemical sciences, and valuable skills in creativity and problem-solving.  

The focus of the course content is on reactions, reaction mechanisms, and multistep synthesis.  First semester topics include substitution and elimination reactions, radical reactions, aromatic reactions, and nucleophilic acyl substitution. The focus of the second semester is on more complex carbonyl chemistry, organometallic chemistry, oxidations and reductions, and bioorganic chemistry.

Laboratory exercises represent hands-on practice of important reactions learned in the course, with a focus on the synthesis of useful organic products. Students will also participate in a field trip to conduct experiments at the organic chemistry teaching laboratories at The University of Texas at Austin.