Macquarie University

Organic Synthesis - CBMS204

This unit serves the needs of students who wish to major in chemistry or biomolecular sciences, as well as those pursuing related disciplines in physical, biological, medical and health sciences. It will be valuable to anyone with an interest in how organic compounds (including biological molecules) react with one another, and how chemists use this knowledge of molecular interactions to synthesise new compounds with desirable properties (eg, new pharmaceuticals and new materials). The unit focuses on fundamental organic chemistry, but the principles, mechanisms and synthetic procedures that it deals with are not confined to organic reactions: the material covered is particularly relevant to students interested in biochemistry, biotechnology, medical sciences or biological chemistry. Topics include: a review of chemical reactivity; introduction to the spectroscopic identification of organic compounds; reaction mechanisms; and synthetic methods commonly used in organic synthesis. The study of these mechanisms and methods provides an understanding of life processes on a molecular level. The practical component is aimed at developing laboratory skills and deductive reasoning; it comprises several multi-step syntheses and identification of unknown compounds by chemical and spectroscopic means.