CVHS Organic Chemistry Syllabus
Teacher: Mrs. Katrina Cantrell
Email: kcantre1@houstonisd.org
Email is the best way to reach me! (Note “1” not “l”)
SUPPLIES:
A Binder for Your Notes:
It is your responsibility to keep up with your notes and other handouts – if
you lose them, you will need to print out another copy from a classmate.
A binder dedicated to this course is highly recommended!
Closed-Toe Shoes on lab days. If you do not have closed-toe shoes on lab day
you will receive a zero for that activity!
*Extra credit will be given on the lab safety quiz for a box of facial
tissues, one ream of printer paper or a double roll of paper towels.
GRADING:
Student grades will be determined by the following method:
40% Test and/or Projects
20% Quizzes
20% Homework
20% Labs
CVHS RETAKE POLICY:
In accordance with Senate Bill 2033 Carnegie Vanguard abides by the following retake
policy:
Not to exceed 2 retakes per grading cycle
Maximum retake score is 70, (score of 70 to 100 = 70)
The highest grade between the original and the retake is counted.
The student, not the parent, must request the retake in writing (per teacher
procedure in class syllabus)
Student must request the retake within 24 hours and complete the retake within
one week of grade posted
Retakes are for in-class assessments, such as quizzes and/or tests only. A reading
quiz (reading check) is an extension of homework and is not eligible for a retake.
Student must fill out a retake form.
If there are multiple retakes in the same day, it is the student’s responsibility to
reschedule with the teacher in advance
No shows counts as a taken retake
Final Exams are not eligible
Missing assignments fall under teacher’s late policy not campus retake policy.
ACADEMIC HONESTY:
If a student is caught cheating on tests, homework, or labs the student will receive a zero
on that assignment and their parents will be called or e-mailed explaining the situation.
Students will also be referred to the office and will receive a discipline referral according
to HISD policy.
LATE WORK:
Assigned work must be turned in by the due date. Any late assignments may be turned in
by 8:30 am the following school day, and will suffer a 30% penalty.
TUTORIALS:
All tutorials will be held during the SSEP period from 8:30 until 9:00 daily. The SSEP
pass must be obtained before school, after class or during lunch for the next SSEP period.
Tutorials are also available during lunch or before school. Please make an appointment
for before school or lunch tutorials.
TARDINESS:
The student must be in their seat when the bell rings or they will be considered tardy. If
the student arrives to the classroom after the bell has rung, the student must sign the
Tardy Sheet on the table by the door. On the fourth tardy they will be assigned Lunch
Detention in my room for the following day. After the fifth tardy the student will be
referred to the Administration.
ATTENDANCE:
If the student is absent it is their responsibility to gather the assignments that they have
missed on the day of their return. If they missed an exam or lab, they must schedule a
make-up exam. Please keep in mind that the format of the make-up is at the teacher’s
discretion. The student must complete and turn in the make-up work in a timely manner,
usually the number of days missed plus one.
CLASS RULES:
I expect my students to abide by four very simple rules in my classroom:
“Be Polite, Prepared, Punctual and Productive.”
(Course Description and Course Outline Follow)
Carnegie Vanguard High School Organic Chemistry Syllabus
Pre-requisite: pre-AP Chemistry at a minimum, Advanced Placement Chemistry
preferred
Course Description: This course is designed to provide a fundamental overview of
organic chemistry to students interested in pursuing a career in the sciences. Upon
successful completion of this class, students will understand the relationship between
structure and function of molecules, the major classes of reactions, reaction energetics
and mechanisms, synthesis of organic compounds, and how to determine structure via
various spectroscopic techniques. Several themes are prevalent in each unit of study:
nomenclature, chemical and physical properties, structures, mechanisms, common
molecules, and the diversity of organic molecules in plants, bacteria, and animals. Many
chapters in our textbook also integrate the societal, pharmaceutical or industrial
importance of specific compounds. An important aspect of any chemistry class is
laboratory experience. Students will participate in weekly micro-scale labs in which they
will safely perform a variety of experiments. Lab results will be recorded in students’ lab
notebooks, and formal lab reports will be completed.
Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of this class, students will be able to predict
bonding and three-dimensional structure, including chirality of organic compounds.
Students will be able to predict the reactivity of specific functional groups, and construct
efficient, simple mechanistic pathways for the synthesis of a given compound.
Recommended Texts and Materials:
John McMurray, “Organic Chemistry,” Eighth Edition, 2012
Tom Russo and Mark Meszaros, Vial Organic Chemistry, 1996
Molecular Model Kit
Course Outline:
1. Structure and Bonding
Review of general chemistry, atoms, bonds, and molecular geometry
2. Polar Covalent Bonds, Acids and Bases
Electronegativity, formal charge, resonance structures, definitions and strengths
of acids and bases, calculating Ka, organic acids and bases
3. Alkanes and Stereochemistry
functional groups, isomers, alkyl groups, IUPAC naming rules, common names,
properties of alkanes, conformations and Newman projections, fuels and
petroleum refining
4. Cycloalkanes and Their Stereochemistry
Naming, cis-trans isomerism, stability, ring strain, polycyclic molecules
5. Stereochemistry at Tetrahedral Centers
Chirality, optical activity, rules for specifying R and S configurations,
diastereomers
6. Overview of Organic Reactions
Major classes of organic reactions, introduction to mechanisms, radicals, polar
reactions, equilibria, rates and energy changes, bond dissociation energies, energy
diagrams
7. Alkenes: Structure and Reactivity
Carbon-carbon double bonds, electrophilic addition reactions, industrial
preparation and use of alkenes, naming, stereoisomerism, the Hammond
Postulate, carbocations.
8. Alkenes: Reactions and Synthesis
Elimination reactions, halogenation, addition of water, reductions and oxidations
of alkenes, synthesis of cyclopropane, chain-growth polymers, reaction
stereochemistry
9. Alkynes: An Introduction to Organic Synthesis
Naming, preparation of alkynes by elimination reactions of dihalides, addition
reactions of HX and X2, hydrations, reductions, oxidative cleavage, organic
synthesis
10. Organohalides
Names and properties of alkyl halides, their preparation from alkanes and alkenes,
resonance stabilization, Grignard reagents, organometallic coupling
11. Reactions of Alkyl Halides: Nucleophilic Substitutions and Eliminations
SN2, SN1, biological substitution reactions, Zaitsev’s Rule, E2 reaction and
deuterium isotope effect, E2 reactions and cyclohexane conformations
12. Structure Determination: Mass Spectometry and Infrared Spectroscopy
Determining the structures of new molecules is critical to progress in chemistry
and biochemistry fields. This course will give an overview of the various types of
spectroscopy available. Topics to be introduced will include:
Spectroscopy and the electromagnetic spectrum, mass spectrometry, infrared
spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and nuclear magnetic resonance.
13. Structure Determination: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Application to small molecule C-H mapping
14. Conjugated Compounds and Structure Determination
Stability of conjugated dienes, the Diels- Alder cycloaddition reactions, diene
polymers, natural and synthetic rubber, conjugation, color, and the chemistry of vision
15. Benzene and Aromaticity
Structure and stability of benzene, the Huckel 4n+2 rule, pyridine and pyrrole,
polycyclic compounds
* Aspirin, NSAIDS, and COX2 inhibitors
16. The Chemistry of Benzene: Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution
Bromination, the Friedel-Crafts reaction, substituent effects, oxidation of aromatic
compounds, reduction reactions, nucleophilic aromatic substitutions
*Combinatorial Chemistry: Using robots to do organic chemistry
17. Alcohols and Phenols
Naming, properties, preparation, alcohols from carbonyl compounds, reduction,
Grignard reaction, phenols and their uses spectroscopy
18. Ethers and Epoxides; Thiols and Sulfides
Naming, properties, reactions of ethers, acidic cleavage, Claisen rearrangement,
ring opening, spectroscopy
19. Carbonyl Compounds
General reactions, preparation, nucleophilic addition reactions of aldehydes and
ketones, nucleophilic addition of amines, the Wolff-Kishner reaction, the Wittig
Reaction, spectroscopy
20. Carboxylic Acids and Nitriles
Naming, structure and properties, acidity, preparation, reactions, HendersonHasselbalch Equation
21. Carboxylic Acid Derivatives
Nucleophilic acyl substitution reactions, chemistry of acid halides, esters, amides,
thioesters, and acyl phosphates, polyamides, and polyesters, step-growth polymers
* Beta- Lactam antibiotics
22. Carbonyl Alpha-Substituion Reactions
Keto, enol tautomerism, mechanism of alpha-substitution reactions, alphahalogenation of aldehydes and ketones, alpha bromination of carboxylic acids
*Barbiturates
23. Carbonyl Condensation Reactions
The Aldol reaction, Claisen Condensation reaction, other biological carbonyl
condensations
24. Amines and Heterocyclic Compounds
Naming, structure and properties, basicity, synthesis, Hofman Elimination,
reduction reactions
25. Biomolecules: Carbohydrates
Classification, Fischer projections, cyclic structures of monosaccharides,
polysaccharides and their synthesis
26. Biomolecules: Amino acids, peptides, and proteins
27. Biomolecules: Lipids, soaps, detergents, phospholipids
The lab experiments to be performed are:
1. Melting Point Determination
2. Boiling Point Determination
3. Isolation of Chlorophyll from Spinach
4. Isolation of Cinnamaldehyde from Cinnamon Sticks
5. Hydrolysis of Starch
6. Formation of an Alkene
7. Formation of t-Butyl Chloride
8. Mixed Aldol Condensation Reaction
9. Preparation of Iodoform
10. The Formation of an Ester
11. The Formation of a Useful Ester: Aspirin
12. Oxidation of Benzaldehyde