[Charkol]

Is there any useful tips or ideas that help in organizing, learning and memorizing each Organic Chem 1 reaction?

I think I was going way too in detail learning about these reactions.  What is the bare necessary information?

Any help is appreciated, I found myself overwhelmed with organic reactions this week.  And as I understand I will be introduced to more reactions.

[discodermolide]

Is there any useful tips or ideas that help in organizing, learning and memorizing each Organic Chem 1 reaction?

I think I was going way too in detail learning about these reactions.  What is the bare necessary information?

Any help is appreciated, I found myself overwhelmed with organic reactions this week.  And as I understand I will be introduced to more reactions.

There are not really that many, the trick is to identify them.
Sn1, Sn2, E1, E2, Aldols, cycloaddition, metal catalsyed cross-coupling. That more or less covers it. Don't worry you will get it.

[dunno260]

You want to know the mechanism for any reaction.  In undergrad chemistry I would work problems, write out mechanisms, and use good flashcards (so a reaction that will get you to identify stereochemistry, regiochemistry, selectivity, etc.).  For alkenes, 1-methycyclohexene is an excellent substrate for your flashcards. 

My graduate advisor recommends 3 flashcards for a reaction.  One is your standard starting material plus reagents with the product on the back of the card, the second is blank plus reagents gives product (so you supply the starting material), and the final one is starting material with a reaction arrow to product and you supply the reagents.

I know some students have really liked to write out reaction maps on paper that has say an alkene at the center and radiating from it are all the reactions you know that work on an alkene.  That can help when you get to retrosynthesis in OChem 1.

But for each reaction you should know what the reactant type is (alkene, alkyne, alcohol, etc.), what the reagent is, and what the product is going to be.  Product prediction comes from the mechanism and thats going to determine the regio and chemoselectivity of a reaction.  You want to be able to realize that this reaction is a hydroboration so it gives this product, this reaction is a lindlar hydrogenation of an alkyne so I should get this and know why for that reaction. 

Really though the best advice is that O-Chem is not a course that lends itself to cramming.  It can absolutely punish poor study habits. 

[macman104]

Yes, the way most organic 1 classes are taught by encouraging pure memorization, which can be very overwhelming.  However, the hardest part is becoming familiar with the various reagents you will encounter.  Especially when it comes to test time, you don't want to waste valuable time looking at the reagent, KO^tBu and or BH₃ in THF wondering what it does.  Disco's statement is correct, most reactions can be summed up into those categories, but as a 1st semester student, it will be tough for you to simply recognize those categories.  I don't think until I took some of the more advanced courses and had a base of knowledge to draw from, that type of understanding really came to me.

I think the best way to become comfortable with organic chemistry and simultaneously prepare for exams (and other grade related material) at the start is to work through practice problems (almost every organic textbook has a large amount of problems at the end of each chapter, and even some in the middle).  Through the continued exposure to the reactions, typical conditions, reagents, you will become more comfortable with the basic concepts.