CHEM 265: Organic Chemistry 2
CHEM 265 is a continuation of the study of organic chemistry begun in CHEM 264. Included is an introduction to the use of infrared and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry, in the determination of the structures of organic molecules. The chemistry of carbonyl-containing compounds is discussed. Also included are aromatic compounds and mechanisms of electrophilic and nucleophilic aromatic substitutions. The emphasis of this course is on the development of problem solving skills in the context of structure elucidation, synthesis and mechanism of reaction.
CHEM 266: Basic Organic Chemistry 1
This course provides the student with a strong comprehension of the fundamental concepts of Organic Chemistry and shows how these concepts are applied to synthetic organic chemical reactions. Three major aspects are covered in the course; a) nomenclature b) atoms and chemical bonds c) chemical reactions.
Chem 267: Basic Organic Chemistry 2
This course covers reactivity of aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids and their derivatives, enols, enolates and amines, as well as their relation to biologically important compounds are discussed. Also included are conjugated pi systems, aromatic compounds and mechanisms of electrophilic and nucleophilic aromatic substitutions. An introduction to the use of infrared and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in the determination of the structure of organic compounds is presented, as well.
CHEM 400: Natural Products Synthesis
We look at a variety of natural products, dissecting various published total syntheses. We concern ourselves with the ideas of strategy and control, and look how these elements are put into practice to effectively synthesize complex structures. This course also strongly emphasizes new reactions, and how their development often arises from efforts in total synthesis. This course builds on topics found in Chem 360, Chem 382, etc, and is highly recommended for anyone intending to pursue graduate studies in organic synthesis.
CHEM 464: Spectroscopy in Organic Chemistry (aka The Puzzles Class)
This course is taught as a problem solving-based approach to learning the theory behind common spectrometric and spectroscopic methods such as MS, IR and NMR. We look at a series of simpler compounds to illustrate the basic concepts, and then move on to solving the puzzles of more complex unknowns. If you enjoy solving puzzles, or are prone to losing sleep over riddles, mind-benders or logic problems like sudoku, you will enjoy this course. This course builds on the spectroscopy material found in Chem 265, and is highly recommended for anyone intending to pursue graduate studies in organic synthesis. **Overrides of the prerequisite may be granted for students who took Chem267, and such students are encouraged to contact me about enroling in the course.
CHEM 766: Organic Spectroscopy
This is a graduate level course designed to reinforce the spectroscopic materials learned at the undergraduate level, though with greater emphasis on instrumentation, data acquisition and context-specific problem solving. This course is taught as a problem solving approach to using MS and IR, in conjunction with 1D and 2D NMR to solve increasingly complex unknown structures. NMR experiments covered include H, C, APT, DEPT, COSY, HMQC, HSQC, HMBC, 1D NOE, 1D decoupling and NOESY.