Organic Chemistry, Intermediate Course

Synthetic organic chemistry. Reagent selection, reaction mechanisms, pKa and choice of base, solvent effects, alkylation of carbonyl compounds, nitriles, nitro-compounds, imines and enamines, metal enolates, enol ethers, kinetic and thermodynamic control, modern Aldol type reactions, condensation reactions with carbonyl compounds, alkenes from carbonyl compounds, phosphorus ylides, phosphonate anions, sulphur ylides and their reactivity, conjugated addition, pericyclic reactions: cycloadditions, sigmaotroptic rearrangements, electrocyclic reactions, group transfer reactions, frontier molecular orbital theory. Reactions via electron deficient intermediates: cations, karbenes and metallocarbenes, nitrenes, radical chemistry with alkenes and alkynes. Functionalisation of aromatic structures by electrophilic aromatic substitution, via aryl diazonium ions, nucleophilic aromatic substitution and palladium/cupper catalysed nuleophilic aromatic substitution. Introduction to retro synthesis

Upon completion of the coarse the student should within the framework of the coarse content:
- Be able to plan the synthesis of advanced organic molecules with respect to reagents and reaction conditions.
- Should know and be able to explain reaction mechanisms.
- Should be able to identify major by-products in reactions.
- Be able to use frontier molecular orbital theory to predict the outcome of pericyclic reactions.
- Be able to name important reactions.
- Should understand how functional groups affect electron density, properties and reactivity in organic compounds.
- Should be able to estimate the pKa values for carboxylic acids, amines, alcohols and ketones in the presence of various functionalities.
- Have awareness of the effects reaction conditions might have on health environment and safety.
- Understand the retro synthetic principal.

Lectures and exercises. If there is a re-sit examination, the examination form may be changed from written to oral.