Organic Chemistry II (saylor.org)

This course is a continuation of Organic Chemistry I. As you progress through the units, you will continue to learn the different chemical reactions characteristic of each family of organic compounds. We will focus on four most important classes of reactions: electrophilic substitution at aromatic rings, nucleophilic addition at carbonyl compounds, hydrolysis of carboxylic acids, and carbon-carbon bond formation using enolates. The enolate portion of this course will cover the reactivity of functional groups.

We will also look at synthetic strategies for making simple, small organic molecules, using the knowledge of organic chemistry accumulated thus far. At the end of this course, you will possess the tools you need to plan the synthesis of fairly complicated molecules, like those used in pharmaceutics.

This course also introduces biological molecules, including carbohydrates, peptides and proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, from a molecular perspective. You will learn how chemical reactions, especially oxidation and reduction reactions, form the basis of all life.

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

Identify the chemistry and basic mechanisms of the following functional groups: ethers, epoxides, thiols, sulfides, benzene, amines, aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids and their derivatives.

Plan the synthesis of ethers, amines, and carboxylic acid derivatives (esters, amides, etc.).

Predict the product(s) of an electrophilic addition reaction involving conjugated dienes.

Use the Diels-Alder reaction on conjugated dienes to form new carbon-carbon bonds and chiral centers of a desired configuration (R or S).

Determine whether a molecule is aromatic, non-aromatic, or anti-aromatic.

Indicate the position in which an electrophile will be added on an aromatic ring, given the other substituents present.

Identify the products and mechanisms of electrophilic and nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions.

Demonstrate mastery of enolate chemistry and techniques for C-C bond formation.

Plan the synthesis of simple molecules using the reactions learned throughout both the Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry II courses.

Describe the chemistry associated with biological molecules such as amino acids, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates.

Identify different monosaccharides, disaccharides, aldoses, and ketoses, as well as reducing and non-reducing carbohydrates.

Identify the twenty naturally occurring amino acids and describe the mechanisms associated with peptide cleavage and synthesis.

Use spectroscopy (mass spectrometry, UV-Vis spectrometry, infrared spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance) to characterize an organic molecule.