3. Acids and Bases
Organic Chemistry Reactions
3. Acids and Bases
Organic Chemistry Reactions
Now you’re finally getting ready to start understanding types of chemical reactions. Oh joy!
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What you need to know about types of chemical reactions.
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We’re gonna learn about 4 different types of chemical reactions. You don’t actually need to understand these! Just be able to recognize them for now.
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Recognizing Acid-Base Reactions.
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In this reaction, two molecules of opposite charges react to exchange a proton. (There are some exceptions that don’t, but we’ll get to this later)

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Recognizing Substitution Reactions.
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This is an acid-base reaction where an atom (or group of atoms) other than protons are exchanged.

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Recognizing Elimination Reactions.
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Here, two single bonds (σ) are removed to create one double bond (π).

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Recognizing Addition Reactions.
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In these reactions, one double bond generates two new single bonds.
- Addition and Elimination are inverse reactions! In some cases they can perfectly cancel each other out.

Additional resources for Organic Chemistry Reactions
PRACTICE PROBLEMS AND ACTIVITIES (18)
- (••) Identify the stronger base in each pair. Explain your choice. Citing pKₐ values is not an acceptable answ...
- (••) Identify the stronger base in each pair. Explain your choice. Citing pKₐ values is not an acceptable answ...
- (••) Identify the stronger acid in each pair. Explain your choice. Citing pKₐ values is not an acceptable answ...
- Without using pKₐ values, pick out the least reactive (most stable) base in each pair. Explain your answer. ...
- Without using pKₐ values, pick out the least reactive (most stable) base in each pair. Explain your answer. ...
- Without using pKₐ values, pick out the more acidic compound in each pair. Explain your answer. (a)
- Without using pKₐ values, pick out the more reactive (least stable) base in each pair. Explain your answer. ...
- Classify each reaction as a substitution, an elimination, or neither. Identify the leaving group in each react...
- Classify each reaction as a substitution, an elimination, or neither. Identify the leaving group in each react...
- Classify each reaction as a substitution, an elimination, or neither. Identify the leaving group in each react...
- For practice in recognizing mechanisms, classify each reaction according to the type of mechanism you expect: ...
- For practice in recognizing mechanisms, classify each reaction according to the type of mechanism you expect: ...
- For practice in recognizing mechanisms, classify each reaction according to the type of mechanism you expect: ...
- For practice in recognizing mechanisms, classify each reaction according to the type of mechanism you expect: ...
- Which of the following indicated atoms would you expect to be most basic? (a) vs.
- Why is imidazole a stronger acid (pKa = 14.4) than pyrrole (pKa ~ 17)?
- Propose a mechanism for the rearrangement that converts an a-hydroxyimine to an a-aminoketone in the presence ...
- Cytosine, uracil, and guanine have tautomeric forms with aromatic hydroxy groups. Draw these tautomeric forms.