I would like to share with readers of SimpleChemConcepts.com an Organic Chemistry mindmap I’ve drawn for my coaching classes when we were doing a summary of the topics.

Go to the bottom of this blogpost. You may download and print it out, put it in your notebook and use it for revision. Click on image to have a bigger view. =)

Quick Announcement:

I’m conducting my annual event : Organic Chemistry Mastery Workshop on 31 July, 7 & 14 Aug 2010 (830 am – 1230 pm) to help students (Pure Chemistry or Combine Science) to

• Understand this easy-to-score major Chemistry topic step-by-step (which many schools rush through)
• Link up the various chapters & Identify the inter-relationship for effective understanding of the concepts
• Be able to apply concepts on real exam questions to earn additional of 20+ marks in ‘O’ Levels
• Expose themselves to the variety of possible Organic Chemistry questions which can be asked
• Avoid common mistakes in Organic Chemistry

This workshop is for students:

• Who haven’t been doing well in Chemistry all along and want to improve themselves in the remaining 15 weeks. It’s possible since Organic Chemistry is an independent topic from the rest of Chemistry.
• Who wants an overall revision just before their prelims & ‘O’ Levels, focusing on the essential concepts in Organic Chemistry.

Click here to register now & enjoy up to 30% off usual workshop fees (for Early Birds only):

Testimonials

Organic Chemistry Mind-Map:

(Click Image for larger view)

If you have been following this chemistry website for awhile, you would have noticed the recent blogposts to inform all students based in Singapore about the printing errors in Marshall Cavendish “Chemistry Matters” reference textbook, as follows:

Error on Page 271 – under Electrolysis

Error on Page 393 – under Organic Chemistry

We have written to Marshall Cavendish to clarify these errors and their Pub Manager (Science) as well as Assistant Managing Editor has confirmed the validity of these errors, and corrections will be made in the next reprint.

At the same time, the Assistant Managing Editor has also been very kind to our students and readers of this chemistry blog – by informing us of other printing errors in the book, as indicated below:

Additional Error on Page 393 – under Organic Chemistry

On page 393, Figure 22.3. Methylpropane should end with the H atom instead of the carbon atom.
Some students thought it is 2-methylbutane instead.

Additional Error on Page 443 – under Organic Chemistry (more…)

To:

Students in Singapore taking GCE ‘O’ Levels Chemistry Exams and using Marshall Cavendish’s Chemistry Matters as Reference Textbook

Besides the error on Electrolysis Topic that we have posted earlier, there is another error spotted in Organic Chemistry. It is shown on page 393 under “Test Yourself 22.1 – Worked Example”.

As we all know, Carbon (C) is found in Group IV of the Periodic Table and has 4 valence electrons. As such, the maximum number of covalent bonds that a carbon atom can formed is 4!

Zoom into Hydrocarbons B and you realised that the 2nd carbon atoms (counting from right side of structure) have: (more…)

During the Organic Chemistry Mastery Workshop 2009 in July, we noticed several misconceptions by students that surfaced again for this current batch of GCE O Levels students, just like the previous years’ batches.

Just a quick note on 2 common errors (mentioned in Up Your Chemistry Grades Now) that you would need to be aware of, so that you can avoid them at all cost.

Hope you will find this information useful to you.

PS: Do leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you.

Just a quick note for those that are following us closely and would like to find out how their friends / relatives / students are doing in our weekly coaching classes (Ultimate Leap Programme) as well as Topical Mastery Workshops.

We have just successfully completed the annual O Levels Organic Chemistry Mastery Workshops 2009 where a committed group of students (both Pure Chemistry as well as Combine Science – Chem) went through our intensive training for 12 hours to learn everything they need to learn about Organic Chemistry in GCE O Levels.

During the 1st hour of introduction and pre-coaching, many students lamented that their school has rushed through this important topic, with many only receiving notes from their chemistry teachers without even discussing application on organic chemistry-based exam questions. Some schools even skipped this topic!!!

The event went very well and i am excited to know that the students have learned what is required to score for questions related to Organic Chemistry. It’s always an encouragement to hear the many positive comments from them after the workshops, just like the previous group in Year 2008 (oh yar, they have have graduated from GCE O Levels and pursuing their higher education!)

(Click on images to have a clearer view)

(more…)

Last year in O Levels Organic Chemistry Mastery Workshop 2008, we had lots of fun and students were taught all the essential concepts on EVERYTHING on O Levels Organic Chemistry.

Those concepts allow them to tackle and answer all the Organic Chemistry related questions in both their Preliminary and GCE O Level Chemistry Examinations. With flow charts, life examples and associations, plus inter-linking chapters; strategies taught to these group of students, they have done well for Organic Chemistry-based questions.

Tomorrow, we will meet a new group of students (not really new though as half of the group has attended our previous workshops in one or another) for our annual Organic Chemistry Mastery Workshop 2009.

If you have just found out about us (either through Referral or Online Search), you still have one last chance to register and join us tomorrow morning at 9am at YMCA Orchard, Singapore.

Instant e-registration by clicking HERE!

I will see you there!

PS: For overseas students and educators, i will share with you more on the happenings during the Organic Chemistry Mastery Workshop within this few days. (more…)

In the previous blgopost we have discussed on 3 MCQ questions on Organic Chemistry that came out in 2008 GCE O Levels Chemistry Exams. Let’s continue with the rest of the MCQ questions that are related to Organic Chemistry.

Question 1: under sub-topic “Carboxylic Acids”

The reaction between a carboxylic acid, CxHyCO2H, and an alcohol, CnH2n+1OH, produces an ester.

How many hydrogen atoms does one molecule of the ester contain?

A.  y + 2n
B.  y + 2n + 1
C.  y + 2n + 2
D.  y + 2n + 3

PS: Tricky question that ALL Pure Chemistry students must know how to answer

&

Question 2: under sub-topic “Carboxylic Acids” (more…)