CHEM 5537 Mechanistic Organic Chemistry
This course will explore factors influencing organic reaction mechanisms and methods for their determination. A partial list of the topics to be covered includes chemical bonding and consequences for structure and reactivity; steric, electronic, and stereoelectronic effects; conformational analysis; thermodynamic and kinetic principles; applications of molecular orbital theory; and reactive intermediates. Students are expected to have taken Organic Chemistry II or the equivalent, such as CHEM2232 or CHEM2012 or CHEM2241.
Course overview
- Department
- Chemistry
- School
- MCAS
- Credits
- 3
- Level
- Both
- Offered
- Every Fall
Course evaluations
- Course rating
- 3.44 / 5 · Good
- Instructor rating
- 3.61 / 5 · Very Good
- Terms evaluated
- 5
| Term | Instructor | Course overall | Instructor overall | Well organized | Clear learning objectives | Intellectually challenging | Helpful assignments | Applicable beyond course | Attendance necessary | Weekly effort | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | Shih-Yuan Liu | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4–6 hrs/week | 15 of 18 |
| Fall 2024 | Shih-Yuan Liu | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 10+ hrs/week | 25 of 25 |
| Fall 2023 | Shih-Yuan Liu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 29 of 32 |
| Fall 2022 | Jeffery Byers | 2.6 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 10+ hrs/week | 19 of 21 |
| Fall 2021 | Shih-Yuan Liu | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 7–9 hrs/week | 17 of 31 |