When it comes to complex orgo reactions, Diels Alder is one of my favorite, perhaps second to the Aldol/Claisen condensations. This reaction is one that appears tricky at first, especially when faced with heavily substituted or cyclic reactants. However, if you follow my pattern and apply the tricks I teach you here, Diels Alder will be a source of ‘free points’ for you any time it shows up on your exam.
Reaction Guide and Practice Problems to follow (Coming soon)
This video series is currently in-progress. I hope to add 1-2 new videos per week through mid-March.
Video 1 – Diels Alder Reaction, Mechanism, and Product Trick
Video 1 in the DA series helps you understand the cycloaddition reaction mechanism and intermediate. This video also teaches you my trick for quickly identifying DA products from any given starting diene and dienophile, and the reverse trick for finding reactions from the cyclohexene product.
Video 2 – Diels Alder for Cyclo Reactants and Bicyclo products
Video 2 shows you how to apply the tricks from video 1 to cyclic starting molecules. You’ll also learn how to find the starting diene/dieonophile from a bicyclic product
Additional DA videos include stereochemistry of DA reactions and the effects of electron donating/withdrawing groups.
