Study Guide materials to accompany “Structure and Reactivity: An Introduction to Organic Chemistry” by Brian P Coppola (First Edition: Second Printing; Van Griner Learning, 2023), Books A-D.
Introductory Organic Chemistry at the University of Michigan has been the first-year undergraduate chemistry course for well-prepared students since 1989. The first-term course is CHEM 210 and the second-term course is CHEM 215.
CHEM 210 Structure & Reactivity I (detailed syllabus below)
CH 1-3 (Book A) Exam 1
CH 4-6 (Book A) Exam 2
CH 7-9 (Book B) Exam 3
CH 1-10 (Books A/B) Exam 4
CHEM 215 Structure & Reactivity II (detailed syllabus below)
CH 10-11 (Book C) Exam 5
CH 12-13 (Book C) Exam 6
CH 15-17 (Book D) Exam 7
CH 11-17, 19.5-19.6 (Books C/D) Exam 8*
* The end of CHEM 215 (after CH 17) is customizable to the interests of the instructor(s) in a given term. Possible topics are: enzyme mechanisms (CH 18), stereoselectivity in organic reactions (CH 19.1-19.2), organometallic catalysis (CH 19.3-19.4), radical chemistry (19.5-19.6), and pericyclic reactions (CH 20).
Nine appendices include: General Chemistry overview, nomenclature (including stereochemical descriptors), and spectroscopy/spectrometry
These books were constructed around the depth, breadth, and pacing of the U-M course. Each section in a chapter corresponds roughly to a day of class. Each section of the text is followed by a set of relevant, open-response questions. The books themselves are designed to be as consumable as crossword puzzle books – formatted and constructed with the active user in mind.
This site captures full semesters from the period 2021-2023 as representative examples, and contains a repository of materials commonly associated with the courses as they are taught at U-M by the author. The menus are organized by block of lectures and chapter sections for each examination. The pulldown lists the links to each class period and ends with the exam. A set of essays about learning in the courses is also included here.
The links for each class period contain:
(a) the reference to the class day
(b) the reference to the book
(c) a link to the Lecture Capture video of the class day
(d) an image of the board (download for better resolution, file size for high res is too large)
(e) a “problem of the day” (POD) that should be do-able within a day of its assignment
(f) ending each typical week, a “thinking in blue” illustrates what lurks beneath an answer
Individual copies can be purchased through the book dealer serving the University of Michigan: Barnes and Noble. The Book A/B bundle is used by CHEM 210 Structure & Reactivity I (ISBN 978-1-64565-276-2), the Book C/D bundle is used by CHEM 215 Structure & Reactivity II (ISBN 978-1-64565-279-3).
For adoptions by institutions, the author licenses the text for printing and distribution through Van Griner Learning. Contact me directly for more information (bcoppola .at. umich.edu).
Detailed representative syllabus for CHEM 210 and CHEM 215
(actual class video might vary +/- a day depending on the term)
