Acids and bases do not require much math at the organic chemistry level. Instead you will be required to understand what makes a strong acid or weak conjugate base. Your goal is to understand the nature of acidity and basicity so that you can comfortably rank the strong and weak molecules based on structure and […]
Acid Base Equilibrium Organic Chemistry Practice Questions
Ranking acids and bases are about more than just knowing which is stronger/weaker. This video walks you through a few practice questions where you’re asked to determine the position of equilibrium for acid-base reactions WITHOUT using PKA values. Instead, we’re using CARIO to determine which acids and bases are stronger and predicting the reaction direction […]
Orbital Hybridization and Acid Base Strength
Video 7 in the acid/base tutorial video series helps you understand the effect of hybridization on acid base strength. This video discusses WHY sp hybrids are more acidic and sp3 hybridized atoms more basics. This video also shows you how to calculate percent ‘s’ character (click HERE to watch this video on YouTube or check Transcript […]
Acidity of Aromatic Compounds in Organic Chemistry
Aromaticity plays a big role in acids and bases, typically covered at the orgo 2 level. Substituted aromatic compounds can have varying acid strength based on the type AND location of the substituent. This video takes you through a series of aromatic acid comparisons. (click HERE to watch this video on YouTube. Transcript coming soon) […]
Atom Size or Electronegativity to Rank Acidity in Organic Chemistry
Video 4 in the acid base tutorial video series shows you how to compare the size or electronegativity of the charged atom. Specifically, you want to look at the atoms on the conjugate base when they gain a charge after losing the acidic hydrogen. It’s not just about memorizing when to compare electronegativity, or when to […]
Using Charge to Rank Acids and Bases in Organic Chemistry
Charge is the first think to look for when asked to rank acids and bases without a given Ka or pKa. This video shows you how to compare the charges of the acids, or compare the conjugate bases. But more importantly, this video shows you how to tackle any acid/base ranking question by comparing conjugates […]
Introduction to Acids and Bases in Organic Chemistry
The first step to ranking acids and bases without Ka/pKa values is to understand the 3 common definitions of acids and bases. This video helps you understand, rather than just memorize, the Arrhenius, Bronsted-Lowry, and Lewis Definitions. But that’s just the start, this video also shows you how to compare any 2 conjugates to determine […]
Inductive Effect on Acid Base Strength in Organic Chemistry
The inductive effect is likely the most tricky when it comes to ranking acids and bases in organic chemistry. In this video I show you how to view atoms as ‘cheerleaders’. This will help you get a better understanding of the concept and help you rank acids and bases. (click HERE to watch this video […]
Henderson-Hasselbalch MCAT Trick for Buffer pH Without a Calculator
When it comes to buffer calculations on the MCAT panicked thoughts of detailed Henderson-Hasselbalch calculations and tedious ice charts may come to mind. But it doesn’t have to be. Since you’re not allowed a calculator on the MCAT it’s important to UNDERSTAND the logic behind these calculations. This video shows you my quick shortcut for estimating […]
