FUNDAMENTALS OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Course objectives

A - Knowledge and understanding OF 1) To know the structure and chemical-physical properties of the main organic compound classes. OF 2) To know the criteria that allow carrying out processes with a pronounced chemical, positional, and stereochemical selectivity. OF 3) To understand in-depth the reactivity of new classes of organic compounds and the reaction mechanisms through which they react. B - Application skills OF 4) To be able to recognize functional groups, and predict their chemical reactivity. OF 5) To be able to apply key concepts such as polar covalent bonds, hybridization, sigma and pi bonds, isomerism, and resonance for describing the molecular geometry. OF 6) To be able to assign the organic compound IUPAC name based on its molecular structure and vice versa. OF 7) To be able to critically analyse organic molecules based on their structure, recognizing acidity/basicity, nucleophilicity/electrophilicity, and evaluate their reactivity according to their structure and reaction conditions. OF 8) To be able to recognize if an organic molecule is chiral. OF 9) To be able to assign the absolute configuration to a stereogenic center. OF 10) To be able to predict the main product of an organic reaction, knowing the precursors, reagents, and reaction conditions. OF 11) To be able to describe the mechanism of a specific transformation of an organic compound. C - Autonomy of judgment OF 12) To be able to evaluate the most suitable reagents to carry out the required synthetic process with the desired selectivity degree. OF 13) To be able to integrate the most efficient method available to perform the preparation of even multi-functionalized structures. D - Communication skills OF 14) To know how to communicate, using appropriate technical-scientific terminology, with the teacher and experts in the subject of study. OF 15) To know how to competently discuss the learned synthetic techniques, even in the context of an oral examination. E - Ability to learn OF 16) Have the ability to find and learn new information, compared to that provided during the training activity, necessary to broaden the knowledge on topics more or less correlated with those covered by the course. OF 17) Have the ability to evaluate the contents of scientific publications containing the new research results. OF 18) Being able to use the knowledge acquired to make it easier to understand topics related to organic chemistry delivered in other educational activities.

Channel 1
FRANCESCA GHIRGA Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
Section 1. Basic chemistry concepts (4 hours) Electronic configuration of elements and octet rule. Electronic spin, exclusion principle of Pauli and principle of maximum multiplicity. Chemical bonds: Ionic and covalent (homopolar, polar and dative). Polarity of bonds and molecules. Formal charge and oxidation number of atoms in organic compounds. REDOX reactions in organic chemistry. Atomic and molecular orbitals. Hybrid Orbitals sp, sp2, sp3. Definition of acid and base species according to Arrhenius, Bronsted-Lowry and Lewis theories. Intra- and inter-molecular forces: hydrogen bond and van der Waals bond. Homolytic and heterolytic bond cleavage. Heterolysis of carbon bonds: formation of carbocations and carbanions. Homolysis of carbon bonds: formation of free radicals. Section 2. Hydrocarbons (8 hours) Alkanes and cycloalkanes Nomenclature, hybridization, structure, physical properties, structural isomers, conformation (torsional strain, angle strain), hybridization and bond angle (cyclopropane). Newman projections. Haworth projections. Carbon combustion. Alkenes and Alkynes Nomenclature, hybridization, structure, stability, physical properties, geometric isomerism, E-Z rules. Reactivity: addition of HX (X = halogens) [ionic (carbocations: structure, stability)], water, halogens. Section 3. Stereochemistry (4 hours) Fundamentals of stereochemistry Stereoisomers. Chirality. Chiral and stereogenic center. Enantiomers and diastereoisomers. Symmetry elements: center, axis, plane. Enantiomers: nomenclature (Cahn, Ingold, and Prelog priority rules). Optical rotation. Racemates. Specific rotation. Compounds containing more than one chiral center (diastereoisomers and meso isomers). Fischer projections. Section 4. Alkyl halides, alcohols, ethers, epoxides and amines (8 hours) Alkyl halides Structure and IUPAC nomenclature, physical properties. Nucleophilic substitution (SN), nucleophilicity and basicity. SN1: mechanism, stereochemistry, ion pairs, factors influencing the SN1 reaction. SN2: mechanism, stereochemistry, factors influencing the SN2 reaction. SN1 vs SN2 (influence of the alkyl group, solvent, and nucleophile). beta-Elimination (E). E1: mechanism, regiochemistry. E2: mechanism, regiochemistry, stereochemistry. E1 vs E2: influence of the alkyl halide, solvent, and base. SN1 vs E1 and SN2 vs E2 Alcohols, Ethers and epoxides Nomenclature, physical properties. Reactivity (notes). Amines Nomenclature. Reactivity: basicity of aliphatic and aromatic amines. Section 8. Summary and exercises (6 hours)
Prerequisites
Students are expected to have basic knowledge of General and Inorganic Chemistry and in particular of the following fundamental concepts: atomic structure and orbitals, periodic properties of elements, hybridization, resonance, fundamental principles of thermodynamics (free energy, enthalpy, entropy) and kinetics (reaction rate, transition state), chemical equilibrium, acidity, and basicity.
Books
B. Botta, CHIMICA ORGANICA ESSENZIALE, Edi-Ermes, 2° Ed. in alternativa: W. H. Brown “Chimica Organica” Ed. Edises 2010 J. Mc Murry “Chimica Organica” 9 Ed. Ed. Piccin 2017
Frequency
Attendance at lectures and tutorials is strongly suggested but is not mandatory.
Exam mode
The acquisition of CFUs for the course requires passing the final exam, held during the exam sessions published on Infostud. The final exam consists of a written test which is preliminary to the oral examination. The written test assesses the student's ability to apply the principles of structure and reactivity of organic compounds to problem-solving. The oral exam evaluates the student's preparation on the entire syllabus, clarity of presentation, and ability to connect and critically reason about the various topics covered in class. There is no maximum limit on the number of exam attempts that can be taken during the academic year.
Lesson mode
The course (6 CFU) consists of lectures integrated with tutorials. The lectures take place in classrooms equipped with devices suitable for projecting course slides, available to enrolled students on La Sapienza E-learning platform. The tutorials, provided throughout the course duration, cover all topics addressed during the theoretical lectures and prepare students for the written exam. Various recap sessions are planned in which exercises representative of those administered in the exams are discussed.
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CourseTechnologies for Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage
  • CurriculumSingle curriculum
  • Year1st year
  • Semester2nd semester
  • SSDCHIM/06
  • CFU3