Skip to main content
Chemistry LibreTexts

7: Introduction to Organic Reactions

  • Page ID
    391336
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    • 7.1: Describing a Reaction - Equilibrium and Free Energy Changes
      The relationship between equilibrium and free energy is reviewed quantitatively and applied to organic reactions conceptually.
    • 7.2: Types of Organic Reactions
      The four main classes of organic reactions are additions, eliminations, substitutions, and rearrangements.
    • 7.3: Reaction Mechanism Notation and Symbols
      Arrows are used by chemists to communicate electron flow in mechanisms, reaction completion/equilibrium, and resonance relationships.  It is important to use  accuracy when selecting the type of arrow  for reactions and precision in drawing the location of the arrow head and tail for the curved arrows of electron flow.
    • 7.4: Polar Reactions- the Dance of the Nucleophile and Electrophile
      Sterics and electronics are the underlying driving forces for polar organic reactions.  The electron rich nucleophile (Nu:) reacts with the electron poor electrophile through a variety of pathways that can be limited and/or influenced by steric hindrance.  We explore and learn the polar reaction  pathways in subsequent chapters.
    • 7.5: Homolytic Cleavage and Bond Dissociation Energies
      The products of homolytic cleavage are radicals and the energy that is required to break the bond homolytically is called the Bond Dissociation Energy (BDE) and is a measure of the strength of the bond.
    • 7.6: Reaction Energy Diagrams and Transition States
      Reaction energy diagrams efficiently and effectively communicate the thermodynamics and kinetics of chemical reactions in a single diagram.  They are a useful tool in learning organic chemistry.
    • 7.7: Reactive Intermediates - Carbocations
      A carbocation is a cation in which carbon has an empty p orbital and bears a positive charge creating a highly reactive intermediate.  Comparing the relative stability of reaction intermediates helps elucidate reaction mechanisms and predict major and minor products.


    7: Introduction to Organic Reactions is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

    • Was this article helpful?