Struggling with Organic Chemistry? Learn It Fast
There are few subjects that are as feared by students as organic chemistry! If you ask any pre-med, biology or chemistry student for the toughest course they’ve taken in College, chances are it was orgo. You’ll find orgo in the first few seconds from almost any pre-med, biology or chemistry major. The reputation is so great that it’s almost come to mean “the class that weeds people out.”
Organic chemistry is not actually more difficult than other science classes, but it does take more raw intelligence. It’s difficult because it is a different way of thinking, than what most students are accustomed to. If you know what that transformation looks like, and you adjust your study strategy accordingly, the subject is a lot more manageable — in many cases, it’s a lot more fun to study.
This post will explain to you exactly why chemistry of organic compounds is so daunting at first glance, and more importantly, how to master it quicker and more effectively without burning out, and without spending a ton of money on tutors and books that you don’t really need.
Why Organic Chemistry Feels So Hard
Prior to taking an organic chemistry science course, memorization is the norm. A lot of success is about remembering information, formulas, facts, even to some extent, physics — biology, general chemistry, even physics.
That’s not true with organic chemistry. It is not just about remembering facts — it is about recognising the patterns of behaviour, how the electrons move, why some molecules are more reactive than others and how even small differences in structure can result in a dramatic change. Students who attempt to learn by rote hundreds of reactions without understanding the logic of them often find themselves stumped almost immediately, typically around the time that their exams begin to test their ability to combine several concepts.
The bright side of this is that once you realize this, you can cease to battle with the topic and start operating with it. The beauty of organic chemistry is that it is more easily learned if approached with pattern recognition and logical reasoning than through memorization; and memorization, in fact, is not an effective way to learn the subject.
Make the Right Foundation Before You Speed Up
In the interest of finishing the exam, it may be tempting to rush straight into the reaction mechanisms, particularly when exams are coming up and panic seems to be setting in. However, omitting the groundwork generally has repercussions later on.
First, be comfortable with a few fundamental concepts: drawing Lewis Structures, the sense of molecular geometry, identifying functional groups from their names, and knowing some basic concepts of electronegativity and polarity. These ideas keep reappearing almost in every chapter which follows. When a person lacks confidence in them, each new topic that comes along will seem more difficult than it has to be, just because the ground they stand on isn’t firm.
If you can see a molecule and immediately recognize what the functional groups are, you can say approximately where the electron density is, and why, in a sentence or two, then you’re in good shape to proceed. But if you cannot, then it’s worthwhile to spend a focused session or two going back to basics first, before speeding ahead — it will save you so much time in the long run that it will be worth it to you.
Master Mechanisms Rather Than Memorizing Reactions
The single shift that makes all the difference in the world in organic chemistry is to no longer memorize reactions, but instead to learn mechanisms.
A mechanism explains how and why a reaction occurs — how and why the bonds are broken, how and why the bonds form, and how and why the electrons move to cause these things to happen. Knowing a mechanism means that you no longer have to learn the reaction independently. You’re able to foresee the outcome of comparable reactions you haven’t even seen before, simply because you know how they work, not merely what they produce.
Here, one of the most useful tools is curved arrow notation. After a while, even if slow and messy at first, practice drawing out electron movement, and you will develop an intuitive gut feeling for why some atoms are easier to be attacked than others, and why some intermediates are more stable than others. Students who embrace this way of thinking usually discover that chapters that previously seemed unrelated and distinct become variations of a few fundamental concepts.
Study Techniques That Actually Work for Organic Chemistry
There are certain methods of studying that work better than others for this subject, and many of the standard study practices (such as passively rereading notes, highlighting books, etc.) do not actually help students grow in skill.
Active Practice Beats Passive Review
Active practise is more effective than passive review. Chemistry is a subject that much of organic chemistry is undertaken in a “learn by doing” approach. By solving practice problems, drawing mechanisms by hand and predicting products before consulting the answer key, the retention remains much better than reading through the solved examples.
Space Out Your Review Instead of Cramming
It’s better to review information over time than to cram. While attempting to pass one quiz, one might end up failing the next. Organic chemistry concepts add up over the course of the semester. Spaced over days or weeks, reviewing material will help it stick, not fade immediately after the test.
Teach It to Someone Else
Tell it to someone else — even your rubber-ducky, desk-bound buddy. If you try to explain a mechanism out loud, step by step, you’ll soon be aware of the holes in understanding, typically much quicker than after just reading it again.
Choose the Right Study Group
Group study may be helpful but only if the group is appropriate. It’s a great way to dramatically increase understanding by working through problems with other students who are willing to do the work, not just check the answer. Often, it is useful to explain the rationale behind an answer, rather than just the answer itself.
Use Flashcards for the Right Things
Flashcards should be used for the right things and not everything. Flashcards are great for functional groups, common reagents, naming conventions — the truly memorization-based parts of the course. They do not function well for mechanisms, which require a different kind of practice — practice by drawing and reasoning and not memorizing a set of facts. It also works well to combine both methods together, not using flashcards for everything.
Practice Under Realistic Conditions
Take practice runs every now and then, under realistic conditions. Problems in a quiet unlimited time setting are helpful to learn, but it’s also good to do a timed (notes-free) exam from time to time. It helps to bring to light the difference between understanding what this is and being able to make it yourself from memory when it matters
Accessible Materials That Make a Difference
To be successful in organic chemistry, you do not need to have access to a wealth of costly, supplemental textbooks, nor even to a private tutor — although a little extra help may be helpful if you have the money.
Numerous universities provide free peer tutoring or teaching assistant office hours which are grossly underutilized. One on one time to work through a difficult, but necessary process can save hours of struggling on your own, and these sessions already have tuition built in. Also, there are a number of free sites, such as Khan Academy and a number of university-sponsored OpenCourseWare sites that provide good supplementary explanations that complement your actual course material, but don’t replace it.
If you do think that additional resources are needed, whether in the form of a practice problem workbook, a study guide, or a short-term tutoring package, it’s best to shop around before making your final decision. Watching for a particular promotion or offering a student discount can have a significant impact on the cost, particularly if there is a discount in the middle of a semester or during a specific season. Previously-used or previous edition textbooks should also be considered because the basic concepts of organic chemistry don’t change much from one edition to the next; at least compared to most publishers’ fantasies.
Helpful Strategies to Avoid Common Mistakes That Slow Students Down
There are a few habits that continually get students into trouble and avoiding them will save a lot of time and aggravation.
One of the biggest is to view each reaction as a fully new fact to learn. As described above, the majority of reactions can be broken down into a limited number of processes — figuring out the relationships can significantly improve study time.
Another common pitfall is beginning to work on problems just before a test. This is a cumulative course: if you fall behind, even by a single day, the rest of the course will be more difficult. A little and much frequently equals a lot and a lot.
Last, many students would prefer to avoid drawing a mechanism but to try to “picture” it in their brain. Organic chemistry is a very visual, spatial subject — in fact, you can’t do it without the pencil drawing of structures, arrows, and intermediates, however quickly, for a level of understanding that can’t be achieved without the pencil drawing.
Creating a Study Plan That Works
In a subject like this, it’s all about consistency, not intensity. Instead of a few long, tiring hours of studying before tests, brief and regular study sessions, sometimes as little as 30 to 45 minutes several times a week, have much better long-term effects.
Simplest of all: check new material within 1 day or 2 days, then do a few practice problems in the same week about the new material, then have a bit longer weekly review on any material that is still a little shaky. This keeps ideas fresh in the learner’s memory and helps to avoid the excessive amount of information that can be received if the review is delayed until the week before a test.
Conclusion
Organic chemistry is notorious, but that’s largely because students are trying to do it the same way as their prior science classes — trying to learn it by rote, without understanding. The subject becomes much more accessible once you adopt learning mechanisms, active practices and consistent studies instead of cramming and it sometimes becomes interesting too.
It’s not a matter of shelling out a lot of money for resources either. Last minute tutoring may be costly, but a solid foundation, practice, and a desire to learn with the free and low cost tools at your disposal will get you further. With the proper technique, organic chemistry doesn’t have to be something you can only barely survive, it can be something that you can truly learn to think in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there a difficulty with organic chemistry?
It demands pattern and mechanism, not simply the memorization of facts, as is required in most previous science courses.
How long till you become good at organic chemistry?
If practiced regularly, during the term, most students make good progress within a few weeks, and do not have to wait until exam time.
Does a tutor help in passing Chemistry Organic?
No, many students can do well with tutoring, practice problems, and regular study habits, although some tutoring when needed will help with certain “glitches” along the way.
How to learn organic chemistry reactions?
Memorize a pattern as opposed to a reaction in isolation, and thus minimize the total amount to be memorized.
Is it better to study organic chemistry alone or in a group?
Both can be effective — group study can be best when everyone is actively working on problems together, rather than verifying the answers.