Making Sense of Chemical Structures

Drawings and naming organic molecules leads to mass confusion for Biology students, most of whom have not yet taken Organic Chemistry. This video will introduce you to this strange world filled with chains and rings and help you to make sense of it. If you have watched my CHEMISTRY BASICS videos I and II (links below) you are ready for what comes next! By the end of the video you will be able to look at structures for aspirin and caffeine and figure out the chemical formula for each. YES YOU WILL!!!

Links to CHEMISTRY BASICS VIDEOS

JOIN THE FUN all over the WEB:

VIDEO DETAILS:

Feel the Power of STRUCTURES

Recall: Bonding Rules are based on valence electrons
Hydrogen: happy with 1 covalent bond
Carbon: happy with 4 covalent bonds
Nitrogen: happy with 3 covalent bonds
Oxygen: happy with 2 covalent bonds

Organic chemistry codifies lots of things:
How Many Carbons?
Types of Carbon-Carbon Bonds

Let's get drawing and understanding:
Ethanol: (structure to formula: C2H6O
Ethanol has two carbon atoms (eth-) with a single bond between them (-ane), and an attached -OH group (suffix "-ol")

RULES:
1. Carbon lives at BENDS and ENDS
2. HYDROGENS bring carbon HAPPINESS

Let's try another:
Caffeine (structure to formula): C8H10N4O2

And finally:
Aspirin: (structure to formula): C9H8O4

[cu]

Why cant everyone teach as easy as you. Great job Ms

[natiivejay]

Barely 30 seconds in and I’m already in love with your character and the way you teach.

[LindseySkidmore]

These videos make me feel like a noble gas. SO HAPPY.

[iworkout]

Can we clone you and make you the chemistry teacher for every single school in this beautiful universe please!

[sleslie]

Thank God for the Hula Penguin. I was about to have a panic attack.

[corzahazard]

I wish my science teacher explained it like 16 years ago!

[Josiephiphi]

She makes learning chemistry fun and easy, at least for drawing the chemical bonds part... I'm a happy penguine at last!

[petergribben]

I've taught chem for many years and have always struggled to get the carbon skeleton concept across.  Loved the "ends and bends". many thanks!

[joeguitargod]

This video is the epitome of what a tutorial should be...concise, informative, and easy to understand. Having practically zero knowledge of chemistry, I feel like I learned more in 8 minutes than I probably would have in 8 hours of regular classroom study. Good Job and thanks for sharing!

[RoSNesquick]

oh my goodness thank you so much. learned more from the past 4 videos than i have in my entire highschool experience!

[miketony]

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[NikNice]

Wow, I can't believe that a video that was a little under 9 minutes long explained more to me than this whole semester. So glad I found this right before my finals exam.

[theWickedU]

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[foodparadise]

wow..after confused with chemistry for 15 years, (now going back to it) this video shines some light

[kgize]

I have a strong background in Chemistry - a chemistry major at a premier University 40 years ago - your You Tube videos are as good or better than any lecture I have been to regarding your subject matter - excellent job. This is the first video of yours I have watched - but will watch more - very cool...your voice is wonderful you don't say 'ahhh' and 'oh' and 'you know what mean' constantly...succinct and direct and about as simple as it gets and totally correct...perfect.. ....you are wonderful...

[sanchezzz]

I love chemistry and hold a place for it my heart since I found out about it.

[devereux]

smiling watching this video because its explained so damn well and I can actually understand this now, thank you

[chrislynch]

Thank you so much for putting this together! I'm a cancer patient reading articles on the new drug I'm taking, and have never taken chemistry. I was tired of not understanding these diagrams, and this video somehow makes all this less scary.

[theRealDavidn]

Im a management consultant with a corporate finance education, who is on a project in the Pharma/APIs space, and these vids have been super handy to be able to understand the client's documentation!