I am struggling to with unseen organic chemistry mechanism. I don’t know where to begin drawing them.

The purpose of a mechanism in organic chemistry is to show the movement of electron density leading to the reaction. Keeping this in mind, when faced with the starting materials, the first thing to identify is to find the most electrophilic and nucleophilic groups in each molecule. The electron density will always move from the strongest nucleophile to the strongest electrophile.

First take a look at the molecule. Are there any negative charges? If so that’s the starting point in most cases, if not, have a look for lone pairs and lastly - double bonds. These are nucleophilic species and good initial starting points; the more electron density is in one point the better the nucleophile. With electrophiles it’s opposite – best electrophile will have the lowest amount of electron density at one point e.g. a carbon adjacent to an electron withdrawing group or near a positive charge. However, be aware that you can’t for 5-valent carbons, so if you form a bond to a carbon then you must break one as well.

Answered by Darius S. Chemistry tutor

1616 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

Describe the trend in the reactivity of group 2 elements with chlorine as you descend down the group.


How can pressure affect the equilibrium shift of a reversible gaseous reaction?


How do I get better at organic synthesis?


What are the special properties of graphite and diamond- why are they different.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2024

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences