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Study organic chemistry 10x faster with AI

Mechanisms, stereochemistry, spectroscopy and synthesis taught by pushing arrows with you, so reactions make sense instead of piling up as flashcards.

4.87on iOS13,917,000+students already study with Kuest

topics
10
Course
Organic Chemistry I and II
Typical level
College, usually second year
Prerequisite
General Chemistry I and II

See how Kuest teaches it

It asks before it tells, so you do the thinking and it sticks.

You: Why does tert-butyl bromide react by SN1 and not SN2?
Kuest: Start with SN2. In one step, the nucleophile attacks the carbon from the side opposite the bromine. What's attached to that carbon in tert-butyl bromide?
You: Three methyl groups and the bromine.
Kuest: Right. So picture the nucleophile trying to reach the back of that carbon. What gets in its way?
You: The three methyl groups. It's too crowded, so SN2 is blocked.
Kuest: Exactly, steric hindrance. Now SN1: the bromide leaves first. Why is that a good option here?
You: It leaves behind a tertiary carbocation, and those are the most stable because the methyl groups donate electron density.

Tertiary substrates block backside attack (no SN2) but form stable carbocations (SN1 or E1).

Students who lock in with Kuest

students
13,917,000+
App Store rating
4.87
countries
100+
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The method

How to study Organic chemistry with Kuest

Organic chemistry is a small set of patterns, like nucleophiles attacking electrophiles, applied over and over. Learn mechanisms by drawing the arrows yourself instead of memorizing products, then practice mixed reaction problems until you can predict what happens to a molecule you haven't seen.

  1. Ask why, not just whatTutor chat

    Ask why a reaction goes the way it does, and Kuest has you find the nucleophile, the electrophile and the leaving group first.

  2. Push arrows on the boardTeaching board

    The teaching board draws structures and mechanisms one arrow at a time, so you can see each intermediate before the product.

  3. Snap a mechanism or spectrumSnap a photo

    Photograph a problem set, your hand-drawn mechanism or an NMR spectrum and get feedback on each step.

  4. Review reagents with spaced flashcardsFlashcards

    Turn reagents, conditions and named reactions into flashcards that come back on a schedule across the semester.

  5. Drill mixed reaction problemsQuizzes

    Predict products, propose mechanisms and plan short syntheses in quizzes that mix chapters, the way exams do.

  6. Take a timed practice examMock exams

    Before a midterm, the ACS final or MCAT prep, sit a timed practice test and review every mechanism you missed.

What you'll cover

Tap a topic to learn it now.

  1. 01Structure, bonding and acidityDraw resonance structures and rank acids using pKa and stability.
  2. 02Alkanes and conformationsName compounds and compare Newman projections and chair conformations.
  3. 03StereochemistryAssign R and S and tell enantiomers, diastereomers and meso compounds apart.
  4. 04Substitution and eliminationPredict SN1, SN2, E1 or E2 from the substrate, nucleophile and solvent.
  5. 05Alkenes and alkynesPush arrows for addition reactions and predict regio- and stereochemistry.
  6. 06Alcohols, ethers and epoxidesChoose reagents to make, oxidize and open these functional groups.
  7. 07SpectroscopyWork out a structure from IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and mass spectra.
  8. 08Conjugation and aromaticityApply Hückel's rule and predict electrophilic aromatic substitution products.
  9. 09Aldehydes and ketonesFollow nucleophilic addition, acetals, imines and Grignard reactions.
  10. 10Carboxylic acids, derivatives and enolatesRank derivative reactivity and use aldol and Claisen reactions in synthesis.

Try asking

Tap a question and Kuest starts teaching it, step by step.

Helps you prepare for

  • Organic Chemistry I
  • Organic Chemistry II
  • ACS Organic Chemistry exam
  • MCAT Chemical and Physical Foundations

A month of Kuest costs less than one hour with a tutor

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$40–80for one hour

  • Booked days in advance
  • One subject per session
  • Stops when the hour ends

Kuest Plus

$10a month, billed yearly

  • Every subject and exam on this site
  • Any hour, as long as you need
  • Quizzes, flashcards, podcasts and mock exams

Study on any device

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