organic-chemistry

## What I do - Study carbon-based compounds and reactions - Analyze organic reaction mechanisms - Design synthetic routes - Characterize organic molecules - Investigate stereochemistry - Develop new synthetic methods ## When to use me - When studying organic reactions - When designing syntheses - When analyzing mechanisms - When working with functional groups - When determining stereochemistry - When characterizing organic compounds ## Key Concepts ### Functional Groups | Class | Structure | Example | |-------|-----------|---------| | Alkane | C-H, C-C | CH₄ | | Alkene | C=C | C₂H₄ | | Alkyne | C≡C | C₂H₂ | | Alcohol | -OH | C₂H₅OH | | Ether | R-O-R' | diethyl ether | | Aldehyde | -CHO | CH₃CHO | | Ketone | R-CO-R' | acetone | | Carboxylic acid | -COOH | acetic acid | | Amine | -NH₂ | ethylamine | ### Reaction Mechanisms ```python # Example: SN1 vs SN2 reaction analysis def reaction_type(substrate, nucleophile, solvent): """ Determine likely mechanism. """ # SN2: Primary alkyl halide, strong nucleophile, polar aprotic if substrate in ['methyl', 'primary'] and nucleophile == 'strong': return 'SN2' # SN1: Tertiary alkyl halide, weak nucleophile, polar protic elif substrate == 'tertiary' and nucleophile == 'weak': return 'SN1' # E2: Strong base, anti-periplanar H elif nucleophile == 'strong_base': return 'E2' return 'mixture' ``` ### Stereochemistry - Chiral centers - Enantiomers vs diastereomers - R/S configuration - E/Z isomerism (alkenes) - Meso compounds - Optical activity ### Synthesis Strategies - Retrosynthetic analysis - Functional group transformations - Protecting groups - Carbon-carbon bond formation - Oxidation/reduction - Stereocontrol