C341 Final Exam Study Guide
Summer 2009
General information: 8:00 AM- 11:00AM on Friday, August 14 in Rawles 100
Format: 200 points, cumulative, similar format to other exams
Approximate point distributions:
~75 pts mechanism
Draw the mechanism (substitution, elimination, addition)
Answer questions based on mechanisms
~70 pts reagents, reactions
Predict the major product with stereochemistry
Provide the correct reagents
~65 pt miscellaneous concepts from list below
Tips for studying:
 Work from the end of the course to the beginning (study backwards)
 Print blank discussion problem sets and write full answer before checking in the
Smith text
 Retake old exams and quizzes, then check your answers
 Do practice chapter problems listed at the end of the syllabus
A list of major topics:
Formal charge, resonance structures, hybridization, skeletal structures, acid/base
equilibria, pKa’s, trends in acidity/basicity, functional groups, intermolecular forces,
alkane nomenclature, conformational analysis, Newman projections, causes of strain,
cyclohexane ring structures, chiral, achiral, R/S nomenclature, enantiomers,
diastereomers, optically active, meso compounds, arrow mechanisms, transition states,
rate limiting steps, activation barrier, exothermic/endothermic reactions, nucleophile,
leaving group, substitution reactions, SN1 mechanism, SN2 mechanism, alkene
classifications, alkene stability, elimination reactions, Zaitsev’s rule, E1 mechanism, E2
mechanism, antiperiplanar, comparing substitution and elimination mechanisms,
synthesis of ethers, alcohols, and epoxides, dehydration of alcohols, carbocation
rearrangements, reactions of alcohols/ethers/epoxides, E/Z nomenclature, addition
reactions, Markovnicov’s rule, anti-marcovnicov product, regiochemistry of additions,
stereochemistry of additions, reactions of alkynes, acidity of terminal alkynes, multistep
synthesis, redox reactions, reagents for redox reactions, allylic brominations, conjugation,
1,4 additions, Diels-Alder reaction, Kinectic vs thermodynamic product