Stop trying to memorize 150 separate Organic Chemistry reactions.
Organic Chemistry 1 & 2 come down to 4 recurring curved-arrow moves. Once you see nucleophiles attacking electrophiles, mechanisms predict themselves.
The 5-step Organic Chemistry 1 & 2 survival system
Learn the 4 Universal Arrow-Pushing Moves first
Almost every Orgo mechanism is built from just four steps: (1) Proton transfer, (2) Nucleophilic attack, (3) Loss of a leaving group, and (4) Carbocation rearrangement. Identify which of the 4 is happening at every arrow.
Master the SN1 / SN2 / E1 / E2 Competition Table
Check the substrate first (methyl/1°/2°/3°), then evaluate whether the reagent is a strong/weak nucleophile and strong/bulky/weak base (e.g., t-BuOK forces E2 Hofmann elimination).
Track stereochemistry (Syn vs. Anti, Inversion vs. Racemization)
Know why SN2 inverts stereocenters (backside attack), why SN1 racemizes planar carbocations, and why Br2 addition vs. hydroboration-oxidation gives anti vs. syn stereochemistry.
Solve Synthesis problems backwards (Retrosynthetic Analysis)
Compare the carbon skeleton of the starting material and final product first: Did the carbon count change (Grignard, Gilman, alkyne alkylation, ozonolysis)? Then work one step backward from the target functional group.
Follow the 4-step NMR / IR Structure Elucidation Checklist
Calculate Degrees of Unsaturation (IHD) from the formula first, check IR for carbonyl (1715 cm⁻¹) or OH/NH peaks, count unique ¹H/¹³C NMR signals, and use integration + splitting (n+1 rule) to stitch fragments together.
High-casualty Orgo 1 & 2 exams to drill with AI
Stereochemistry & Chair Flips
Assign R/S configurations, spot meso compounds, and place bulky groups equatorial.
Substitution vs. Elimination
Predict major/minor Zaitsev vs. Hofmann products and hydride/methyl shifts.
Orgo 2: Carbonyls, Enolates & EAS
Master Aldol/Claisen condensations, Wittig reactions, and ortho/para vs. meta directors.
1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR & Mass Spec
Practice reading chemical shifts, doublet/triplet splitting patterns, and IHD.
Curved arrows ALWAYS start at electrons (a lone pair or bond), never at a "+" charge
Drawing an arrow from an H⁺ or carbocation toward electrons is the #1 freshman error. Curved arrows show the movement of electron pairs—start every arrow at a lone pair or pi/sigma bond.
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