Principles of Organic Chemistry

This course is a one-semester (4-credit) introduction to organic chemistry, with an emphasis on structure and bonding, reaction mechanisms, and chemical reactivity. It covers all of the important functional groups and reactivity needed for applications in medicine and biochemistry, including aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, and amides. Students who succeed in in this course are well prepared for the organic chemistry portion of medical school entrance exams and other similar exams. Students who need a full year of organic chemistry (8 credits) should take CHEM S-20ab, which goes into greater depth with extensive coverage of laboratory organic synthesis, spectroscopy, and other topics needed for more advanced study of the subject.