Chapter 1: Structure Determines Properties

Understanding the structure and bonding of organic molecules is fundamental to being able to understand their properties and reactions.  This is because the properties and reactions are controlled by the interactions between molecules which are in turn dictated by the types of bonds within those molecules.

Although you may feel that most of this chapter is review from your General Chemistry course(s), many students are not as strong as they need to be to survive the adventure that lies ahead, so make sure you start your organic course in good shape. Here is a short list of topics that cause many students problems that relate to fundamental material.

As you will see later, understanding the location of electrons is especially important as it is the arrangement of the electrons that creates the bonds between the atoms, and chemical reactions are just a reorganisation of those electrons to form new bonds.

Structure

• Atoms
• Electrons and Orbitals
• Bond types: Ionic, Covalent, Polar Covalent
• Electronegativity
• Lewis Structures
• Formal Charge
• The Shapes of Molecules and Molecular dipoles
• Constitutional Isomers
• Drawing curly arrows
• Resonance
• Acids and Bases

© Dr. Ian Hunt, Department of Chemistry