🧪 Organic Chemistry — Intermediate#

Scope — Structure–reactivity relationships, stereochemistry, reaction mechanisms, and common organic reactions.

Key concepts#

• Isomerism — structural isomers and stereoisomers (enantiomers, diastereomers).
• Reaction mechanisms — stepwise descriptions of bond breaking and forming using curved-arrow notation.
• Substitution and elimination — SN1, SN2, E1, and E2 reaction pathways.

Seed Q&A triads#

• Q: What distinguishes enantiomers from diastereomers?
  A: Enantiomers are non‑superimposable mirror images; diastereomers are stereoisomers that are not mirror images.

• Q: How does an SN1 reaction differ from an SN2 reaction?
  A: SN1 proceeds via a carbocation intermediate and is unimolecular; SN2 is a single-step, bimolecular backside attack.

• Q: Why does stereochemistry matter in biological systems?
  A: Enzymes and receptors are chiral, so different stereoisomers can have dramatically different biological effects.

Short exercises#

• Predict the major product and stereochemical outcome of an SN2 reaction on a chiral carbon.
• Classify reactions as substitution or elimination based on reagents and conditions.