4.1 Organic Chemist's Toolbox Part 2

Question 1

What is a Bronsted-Lowry acid?

Answer 1

proton donor

Question 2

What is a Bronsted-Lowry base?

Answer 2

proton acceptor

Question 3

What is the strength of most organic acids?

Answer 3

weak acids

Question 4

What is the general rule of thumb for organic compound acidity for the MCAT?

Answer 4

strong acids > sulfonic acids > carboxylic acids > phenols > alcohols and water > aldehydes and ketones > sp CH bonds > sp2 CH bonds > sp3 CH bonds

Question 5

What is a nucleophile?

Answer 5

species that have unshared pairs of electrons or pi bonds; lewis acid bases

Question 6

What is nucleophilicity?

Answer 6

the measure of how strong a nucleophile is

Question 7

How does nucleophilicity change with negative charge?

Answer 7

increases as negative charge increases

Question 8

How does nucleophilicity change within the periodic table?

Answer 8

increases as you move down left

Question 9

What are electrophiles?

Answer 9

electron-deficient species that act as electron pair acceptors

Question 10

What is electrophilicity?

Answer 10

measure of how strong an electrophile is

Question 11

What is formed when a nucleophile and electrophile interact?

Answer 11

coordinate covalent bond

Question 12

What are good leaving groups?

Answer 12

resonance stabilized structures and weak bases

Question 13

What are bad leaving groups?

Answer 13

strong bases

Question 14

What is ring strain?

Answer 14

arises when bond angles between ring atoms deviate from the ideal angle predicted by the hybridization of the atoms

Question 15

What effect does ring strain have on carbon carbon bonds and reactivity?

Answer 15

weakens the bonds and increases reactivity