Reactions in organic chemistry

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Draw simple mechanisms to explain the outcomes of reactions.
• Recognise reactive centres in organic molecules and the types of reactions that they can undergo.
• Predict the outcomes of reactions based on the properties of the functional groups that are present.
• Recognise the properties of reagents and solvents and how these relate to their use in organic reactions

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Meet the learning outcomes of a co-requisite practical module.

An introduction to carbonyl chemistry including structure and bonding, polarisation, oxidation levels, leaving group ability and the influence of attached atoms on reactivity. Principle reactions with nucleophiles, electrophiles and bases and loci of reactivity. Addition of HCN, hydride and organometallic reagents. Nucleophilic substitution and addition/elimination reactions at the carbonyl group in carboxylic acid derivatives. Formation of esters from acids and alcohols. The preparation and use of acid chlorides. The hydrolysis of esters and their reactions with nucleophiles. The chemistry of nitriles.

Enolate chemistry for α-alkylation of aldehydes, ketones and acid derivatives.

Reactions of alkyl halides and sulfonates with nucleophiles. Revision of SN1 and SN2 reactions including mechanisms and synthetic utility. The formation of alkyl halides from alcohols and alkenes, and their reactions with carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorous nucleophiles. Markovnikov and anti-Markovnikov alkene addition, and related, reactions including hydration, hydrohalogenation, halogenation, epoxidation and hydroboration. Elimination reactions including mechanisms for E1, E2 and E1CB processes and the competition between these and substitution reactions. Grignard reagents for C-C bond formation and an introduction to multi-step target-oriented synthesis.

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures, small group tutorials and laboratory sessions.

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

J. Clayden, N. Greeves, S. Warren (2012). Organic Chemistry.

Assessment strategy

Final exam, tutorials and laboratory marks. The latter are accumulated under the co-requisite lab module.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External