CHEM 350 deals with the chemistry of carbon compounds through a study of the characteristic reactions of the common functional groups. Alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, alkyl halides, conjugated dienes, substituted aromatics are discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on the study of reaction mechanisms in an attempt to show similarities between apparently unrelated reactions. The importance of stereochemistry is stressed throughout the course. An introduction to the use of spectroscopy in the analysis of organic compounds is also included in the course.
CHEM 350 together with the upcoming CHEM 360 course will represent a full-year introductory organic chemistry course at the second-year university level. The compulsory laboratory component of CHEM 350 introduces the student to the basic techniques employed in modern organic chemistry laboratories. Experiments have been selected to illustrate many of the principles encountered in the theoretical part of the course.
