Not a list of reactions. Shape, electrons, and consequences.
Organic chemistry has the worst reputation in school science, and the reputation is earned by how it is usually taught: as a catalogue of reactions to be memorised, hundreds of them, apparently unrelated.
It is not a catalogue. It is shape, and where the electrons are — and once a student can see that, the reactions stop being a list and become consequences. This programme is built entirely around mechanism. By the end a student should be able to predict a reaction they have never been taught.
What you need before starting: Light prior knowledge, not concept-zero. Every programme is built to be entered without prior exposure to the specific subject.
Every rule is derived rather than issued. The programme is designed to be entered without prior exposure to the subject — light prior knowledge, not concept-zero.
TopicsAtomic orbitals, electron configuration, covalent bonding, orbital hybridisation (sp, sp², sp³), periodic trends
TopicsLewis structures, formal charges, VSEPR, resonance, constitutional vs stereoisomerism
TopicsFunctional groups, IUPAC nomenclature, alkanes/alkenes/alkynes, chirality, R/S notation
TopicsFischer projections, Newman projections, diastereomers, meso compounds, optical isomerism
TopicsAlkane structure, conformational analysis, combustion, radical halogenation, regioselectivity
TopicsElectrophilic addition, hydration, Markovnikov's rule, carbocation stability and rearrangement
TopicsKMnO₄/OsO₄ oxidation, hydroboration, epoxidation, alkyne addition, reduction, polymerisation
TopicsAromaticity, Hückel's rule, EAS mechanism, halogenation, Friedel-Crafts alkylation
TopicsFriedel-Crafts acylation, nitration, sulfonation, directing effects, polysubstituted aromatics
TopicsSN2, SN1, E2, E1 mechanisms, factors determining pathway, competition, stereochemistry
TopicsAlcohol/ether nomenclature, preparation, oxidation, substitution reactions, ether cleavage
TopicsCarbonyl structure, nucleophilic addition, aldehyde/ketone reactions, aldol condensation
TopicsEnamine formation, imine/oxime formation, Wittig reaction, carbonyl reduction, protecting groups
TopicsCarboxylic acid preparation and reactions, esters, acid chlorides, anhydrides
TopicsNucleophilic acyl substitution, amides, amide hydrolysis, Grignard reactions, reduction of carbonyls
TopicsConjugation, allylic systems, 1,3-dienes, Diels-Alder mechanism, stereochemistry and regioselectivity
TopicsEnol/enolate formation, keto-enol tautomerism, aldol, Claisen condensation, malonic ester synthesis
TopicsAmine basicity, preparation, reactions, diazonium salts, arenediazonium reactions
TopicsAmino acid structure, acid-base properties, peptide bonds, titration, peptide synthesis
TopicsCarbohydrate classification, Fischer projections, cyclic forms, anomers, mutarotation
TopicsGlycosidic bonds, disaccharides, polysaccharides, fats and oils, saponification
TopicsTriglycerides, phospholipids, steroids, phenol acidity, phenolic reactions and quinones
TopicsFuran, thiophene, pyrrole, pyridine, aromaticity, EAS and NAS in heterocycles
TopicsWoodward-Hoffmann rules, sigmatropic shifts, Cope rearrangement, electrocyclic reactions, Claisen rearrangement
TopicsGrignard reagents, organolithium compounds, transition metal complexes, Suzuki/Stille/Negishi coupling
TopicsJones/PCC/Swern/KMnO₄ oxidising agents, DIBAL/NaBH₄/LiAlH₄ reducing agents, protection strategies
TopicsRetrosynthetic approach, disconnection, functional group transforms, linear vs convergent synthesis
TopicsTerpene, alkaloid and steroid synthesis, antibiotic structures, complex molecule strategies
TopicsMulti-step synthesis, complex mechanisms, stereochemical control, regioselectivity challenges
TopicsComprehensive synthesis projects, all major reactions, real-world pharmaceutical applications
Every session includes a problem set with full written solutions. Progress tracking and individual feedback throughout, and a conversational programme textbook written for the course.
A group opens when four students are ready.