Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 3 sessions / week, 1 hour / session

Recitations: 2 sessions / week, 1 hour / session

This subject deals primarily with the basic principles to understand the structure and reactivity of organic molecules. Emphasis is on substitution and elimination reactions and chemistry of the carbonyl group. There will be three lectures per week and two recitation sections devoted to discussion of the assigned problems and lecture material.

Class Outline

1st half of the semester (PDF)

2nd half of the semester (PDF)

Textbook

L. G. Wade, Jr. Organic Chemistry. 5th ed.

Recitations

Recitations will begin the second week and meet twice per week. Recitation sections are assigned by the registrar. Changes are closed as of the 3rd session of the 2nd week.

Grading

Grades for the subject will be based on the following:

10% - Graded homework assignments
50% - Best three scores of four graded 1h exams
40% - One final exam

Academic Honesty

It is expected that students will maintain the highest standards of academic honesty.

With respect to homework assignments, it is expected that no student will turn in work that is not his or her own by copying the work of another student or by using the work or solutions from this course given in previous years. Discussion of approaches to solving the homework problems after attempting to work the problems independently, however, is permitted and encouraged.

It is expected that during a test or examination, a student will not:

  1. Accept or use information of any kind from other students;
  2. Represent the work of another student as his or her own;
  3. Use aids to memory other than those expressly permitted by the examiner.

Following a test or examination, a student will not try to deceive teachers or graders by misrepresenting or altering his or her previous work. In advance of a test or exam, a student will not knowingly obtain access to the exam questions.

Departures from the above standards are contrary to fundamental principles of MIT and of the larger scientific community. Such departures are considered serious offenses for which disciplinary penalties, including suspension and expulsion, can be imposed.