[CBond007]

A month from now I will be taking a graduate level Physical Organic Chemistry course.  How can I prepare myself for this course?

Thanks,
Marvin

[movies]

You can always start by getting the book and checking it out some.  Chances are the first thing you will talk about will be conformational analysis, so it's preobably good to review energy diagrams for things like the rotamers of ethane and higher alkanes.  Also, conformations of cyclohexane rings, specifically in terms of the so-called "A values."  Beyond that, the thing that will probably help the most is to get comfortable with molecular orbitals and how they behave in different reactions.  Most physical organic chem. books will have a section on that for sure, but there are also sections in books like March.  Another great reference is the Fleming book, but that is kinda advanced for a beginner.

[tamim83]

I suggest that you look at your sophomore organic textbook.  It helps to review some of that stuff.  Also I would practice electron pushing in mechanisms. 

[Ψ×Ψ]

I'd suggest looking back over your quantum chemistry notes.  Then again, my phys org class wasn't taught well at all.

[tamim83]

There really wasn't much quantum in the phys. org. I took.  We talked about kinetics and thermodynamics but it wasn't anything too difficult.  The most quantum we had was talking about tunneling and anharmonic oscillators (for kinetic isotope effects), but it was really simple.  We also did some steady state approximations.  I guess every course is different. 

[Ψ×Ψ]

There really wasn't much quantum in the phys. org. I took.  We talked about kinetics and thermodynamics but it wasn't anything too difficult.  The most quantum we had was talking about tunneling and anharmonic oscillators (for kinetic isotope effects), but it was really simple.  We also did some steady state approximations.  I guess every course is different. 

I'm a little jealous, then.  We spent way too much time on MO theory and secular determinants, and didn't get into anything very interesting.  This is why I'm sitting in on the class under a different prof next time it's offered.

[tamim83]

I'm a little jealous, then.  We spent way too much time on MO theory and secular determinants, and didn't get into anything very interesting.  This is why I'm sitting in on the class under a different prof next time it's offered.

Interesting.  Well we did that stuff in quantum mechanics.  Plus, my proffessor was a synthetic organic chemist and spent a lot of time using examples from the literature.  Very interesting, and I am not really studying organic synthesis, but still, it was a good class. 

[AhmedEzatAlzawalaty]

i suggest you go to he dean and ask him if you can take a look at exam at a glance then surf the net

[CBond007]

I just finished the course with an A-

The required text was the March 5th Ed.  I didnt like spending hours looking up articles for detailed explanations.  After the first few lectures I decided this book was not good. 

So I went and purchased Modern Physical Organic Chem by Anslyn and Dougherty.  What an excellent book.  It goes into great detail and is very easy to read.  Sometimes I couldn't put the book down!  This book definitely made the class more informative and enjoyable.

[tamim83]

nice job.  Yeah I liked that book too, we have been using it round the lab too.