Here you’ll be able to find the topics covered in undergraduate and postgraduate level organic chemistry. Each post is tagged according to its level of difficulty.

Undergraduate level organic chemistry includes basic organic chemistry theories (e.g. stereochemistry) and basic organic reactions and mechanisms (e.g. substitution, elimination, addition).

Postgraduate level organic chemistry includes advanced organic chemistry theories (e.g. physical organic chemistry) and advanced organic reactions and mechanisms (e.g. cycloadditions).

I have also included several extra posts for each subject, these posts are given the label ‘Ex’ in the title. These posts include either more advanced theories or further explanations that may be needed to understand the subjects more thoroughly.

If you are a new student who has just started learning organic chemistry, you are also encouraged to check out the common source of confusion page and the OChem Lingo page to familiarise yourself with the terms often used in organic chemistry.

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Organic Chemistry Theories

Acid, Base, and pK_a

Acid-Base: Prologue
Acid-Base I. What are Acids and Bases?
Acid-Base II. What is pK_a and Why is It Important?
Acid-Base III. The pK_a Table and What Information It Tells You
Acid-Base IV. Factors Affecting the Acidity of Organic Compounds
Acid-Base V. Using pK_a to Predict the Course of a Reaction – Part 1
Acid-Base VI. Using pK_a to Predict the Course of a Reaction – Part 2
Acid-Base VII. Using pK_a to Predict the Course of a Reaction – Part 3
Acid-Base VIII. Acidity, Basicity, and Solvent – Part 1
Acid-Base IX. Acidity, Basicity, and Solvent – Part 2
Acid-Base X. Levelling Effect
Acid-Base XI. Hard and Soft Acids and Bases (HSAB) Theory in Organic Chemistry

Acid-Base Ex-I. Why do Acid-Base Reactions Proceed Towards the Formation of Weaker Acids and Weaker Bases? – A Thermodynamic Point of View
Acid-Base Ex-II. Which Nitrogen Gets Protonated in Compounds Containing Multiple NR₃ Groups?
Acid-Base Ex-III. Is the pK_a of water –1.7 or 0? Is the pK_a of hydronium ion 15.7 or 14?

Stereochemistry

Stereochemistry: Prologue
Stereochemistry I. Stereochemistry Caused by A Chiral Center
Stereochemistry II. Absolute (R/S) vs Relative (D/L) Configurations
Stereochemistry III. Stereochemistry Caused by Double Bonds
Stereochemistry IV. Stereochemistry in Cyclic Structures
Stereochemistry V. Atropisomerism: Stereochemistry Caused by Restricted Rotation Around a Single Bond

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Organic Chemistry Reactions