d2jsp
Log InRegister
d2jsp Forums > Off-Topic > General Chat > Science, Technology & Nature > Curious About Chemistry
12Next
Add Reply New Topic New Poll
Views: 702Replies: 17Track Topic
Member
Posts: 2,162
Joined: Oct 8 2009
Gold: 5.00
#1
Dec 12 2011 02:23am
I've always enjoyed most aspects of Organic Chemistry and was thinking about studying it in university. The thing is, my dad said that it was his least favourite subject and I've heard similar from other people. I'm just wondering if there's anyone here whom has any experience with studying Organic Chemistry and if so, how they personally found it.
Member
Posts: 13,829
Joined: Apr 15 2006
Gold: 367.00
#2
Dec 12 2011 02:26am
It it very difficult and a lot of work
Member
Posts: 33,701
Joined: Jul 17 2006
Gold: 1,990.00
#3
Dec 12 2011 02:39am
Quote (pigletopeth @ Dec 12 2011 12:23am)
I've always enjoyed most aspects of Organic Chemistry and was thinking about studying it in university. The thing is, my dad said that it was his least favourite subject and I've heard similar from other people. I'm just wondering if there's anyone here whom has any experience with studying Organic Chemistry and if so, how they personally found it.


its one of the more difficult chem courses you can take. in fact next to quantum theories and kinetics id say it IS the hardest. but its pretty rewarding with respect to the amount of information you get out of the class.
in my personal opinion i didnt like the course when i was taking it, but after i had finished i was glad i did. it was hard as balls so during the course it was a pain but once i was done i appreciate how much i learned
Member
Posts: 43,761
Joined: Aug 27 2009
Gold: 63,142.89
#4
Dec 12 2011 03:19am
it just has a reputation of being a class with a "higher quantity workload" compared to its predecessors
Member
Posts: 13,578
Joined: Jul 27 2010
Gold: 2,285.00
#5
Dec 12 2011 05:24pm
organic chemistry is interesting, but when you take it in college it's rote memorization of like two hundred organic molecules. I'm not surprised so many people say it's their least favorite subject.
Member
Posts: 38,770
Joined: Sep 14 2005
Gold: 12,839.39
#6
Dec 12 2011 05:34pm
Quote (bentherdonethat @ Dec 12 2011 05:24pm)
organic chemistry is interesting, but when you take it in college it's rote memorization of like two hundred organic molecules. I'm not surprised so many people say it's their least favorite subject.


meh a lot of memorization but some understanding. if you understand why, then its easier imo, and do not have to memorize everything. also, i enjoyed it.

This post was edited by cialda on Dec 12 2011 05:34pm
Member
Posts: 24,843
Joined: Oct 24 2010
Gold: 2,195.00
#7
Dec 12 2011 07:36pm
Lots of memorization. Very interesting course if you go the extra step to learn the 'why''s and go to office hours (rather than just straight out memorizing).
Definitely not the hardest 2nd year course though.
Member
Posts: 2,162
Joined: Oct 8 2009
Gold: 5.00
#8
Dec 12 2011 09:34pm
Quote (Exx @ Dec 13 2011 12:06pm)
Lots of memorization. Very interesting course if you go the extra step to learn the 'why''s and go to office hours (rather than just straight out memorizing).
Definitely not the hardest 2nd year course though.


oh, and onion.

Quote (bentherdonethat @ Dec 13 2011 09:54am)
organic chemistry is interesting, but when you take it in college it's rote memorization of like two hundred organic molecules. I'm not surprised so many people say it's their least favorite subject.


Yeah i thought so, I'm still very keen on it. There's a lot of fulfilling jobs that goes with it and the fact that you learn so much... it really is fascinating.
Member
Posts: 15,743
Joined: Nov 17 2006
Gold: 33.00
#9
Dec 12 2011 10:40pm
Organic 1, 2, and lab are all joke classes compared to what came after them at my school. You really don't work with many atoms in organic (and you're limited to the s and p shells and their interactions mostly); shit gets insane when you work with mechanisms involving inorganic and organometallic compounds, and then learn how to draw their MO's and how exactly all their electrons overlap to form bonds, what happens to MO energy levels and the lines depicting what electrons contributed to what molecular orbital when the molecule distorts in a certain way, what happens to the energy levels and how the electrons overlap when hybridization takes place, etc. Hell, even knowing how to draw the correct MO with the correct lines, the correct bond types, and energy levels of a molecule as seemingly simple as CO2 can be a bitch when you're first starting out.

You can go through orgo simply by sheer memorization, but you were literally fucked in my intermediate inorganic chemistry class if you didn't understand the "whys" and "hows" of everything from everything to the implications of pi backbonding...



...to the reasons for why the eg and t2g d orbital interactions are higher or lower in energy in the presence of certain circumstances:

[img]https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQoGnJ4JJ1jv-7aXAhp7f7q1z4kHpueqla1hwbQsEOtefqVXsqg4A[/img]


I wish everyone who bitched about orgo had to take this class.
Member
Posts: 38,770
Joined: Sep 14 2005
Gold: 12,839.39
#10
Dec 12 2011 11:56pm
Quote (Nihlathak @ Dec 12 2011 10:40pm)
Organic 1, 2, and lab are all joke classes compared to what came after them at my school. You really don't work with many atoms in organic (and you're limited to the s and p shells and their interactions mostly); shit gets insane when you work with mechanisms involving inorganic and organometallic compounds, and then learn how to draw their MO's and how exactly all their electrons overlap to form bonds, what happens to MO energy levels and the lines depicting what electrons contributed to what molecular orbital when the molecule distorts in a certain way, what happens to the energy levels and how the electrons overlap when hybridization takes place, etc. Hell, even knowing how to draw the correct MO with the correct lines, the correct bond types, and energy levels of a molecule as seemingly simple as CO2 can be a bitch when you're first starting out.

You can go through orgo simply by sheer memorization, but you were literally fucked in my intermediate inorganic chemistry class if you didn't understand the "whys" and "hows" of everything from everything to the implications of pi backbonding...

http://www.ilpi.com/organomet/gifs/alkyneorbitals.gif

...to the reasons for why the eg and t2g d orbital interactions are higher or lower in energy in the presence of certain circumstances:

https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQoGnJ4JJ1jv-7aXAhp7f7q1z4kHpueqla1hwbQsEOtefqVXsqg4A


I wish everyone who bitched about orgo had to take this class.



i guess my inorganic was less intense than that :O
we went over pi backbonding slightly, but the course was 1 semester and it was "inorganic chemistry: chemistry across the periodic table" or something like that. we just went over reactions of the entire periodic table. /e * we did go over some orbital over lap for a few chapters but that was it. the way you make it sound, it seems you went much deeper. also that class was one of my favorites because of the accompanying lab. we actually had fun labs.*
also, did you go in depth in organic for orbital overlaps and all that? we mainly stayed to just electron pushing diagrams mainly in organic at my school.

This post was edited by cialda on Dec 12 2011 11:57pm
Go Back To Science, Technology & Nature Topic List
12Next
Add Reply New Topic New Poll

© 2003-2026 d2jsp  Contact