2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Science Undergraduate major in Chemistry
Organic Reactions
- Academic unit or major
- Undergraduate major in Chemistry
- Instructor(s)
- Makoto Yamashita
- Class Format
- Lecture (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 3-4 Tue (M-B45(H105)) / 3-4 Fri (M-B45(H105))
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- CHM.D333
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 3Q
- Syllabus updated
- Aug 22, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This course will explain important points for understanding organic reactions. Students will learn about the classification of reactions, the role of reactants, the types and properties of various interactions, the effects of solvents and substituents on reaction rate and selectivity, analysis of reaction mechanisms using kinetic analysis, the mode and mechanism of catalytic reactions, pericyclic reactions and orbital interactions, etc. Ultimately, the goal is to reach a level of understanding where students can give their own understanding to reactions they encounter for the first time.
Course description and aims
To be able to correctly draw reaction mechanisms using curly arrows based on the electronic theory of organic chemistry.
To understand the points necessary to understand organic reaction mechanisms.
Keywords
Acid-base reactions, intermolecular interactions, electronic effects of substituents, orbital interactions, solvent effects, reaction kinetics, isotope effects, catalysts, nucleophilic and electrophilic species, radical reactions, pericyclic reactions, organometallic reactions
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Lectures will be based on the distributed handouts and their explanation with writing on them. At the end of the class, students have to solve problem sets related to the lecture.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Classification of organic reactions and their mechanism |
Exercise problems might be given in this class. |
| Class 2 | Molecular orbitals |
Exercise problems might be given in this class. |
| Class 3 | Thermodynamics and electronic effects in organic reactions |
Exercise problems might be given in this class. |
| Class 4 | Acids and bases in organic chemistry |
Exercise problems might be given in this class. |
| Class 5 | Reaction rate |
Exercise problems might be given in this class. |
| Class 6 | Activation parameters and isotope effect |
Exercise problems might be given in this class. |
| Class 7 | Substituent effect |
Exercise problems might be given in this class. |
| Class 8 | Organic reactions and solvents |
Exercise problems might be given in this class. |
| Class 9 | Catalytic reactions |
Exercise problems might be given in this class. |
| Class 10 | Nucleophiles and electrophiles |
Exercise problems might be given in this class. |
| Class 11 | Radical reactions |
Exercise problems might be given in this class. |
| Class 12 | Pericyclic reactions |
Exercise problems might be given in this class. |
| Class 13 | Overview of organometallic chemistry |
Exercise problems might be given in this class. |
| Class 14 | Explanation of a mock term-end exam |
The mock exam itself is the exercise |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to course material and other reference books.
Textbook(s)
Tokyo Kagaku Dojin, "有機反応論", ISBN 9784807907281, written by Tadashi Okuyama
Reference books, course materials, etc.
None
Evaluation methods and criteria
Quiz in the class (30%) and term-end exam (70%, you can take only writing implements and scientific calculators to this test).
Related courses
- CHM.D201 ： Organic Chemistry I
- CHM.D202 ： Organic Chemistry II
- CHM.D301 ： Organic Chemistry III
- CHM.D332 ： Structural Organic Chemistry
- CHM.D331 ： Organic Synthesis
Prerequisites
Has taken Organic chemistry I~III or has the sufficient knowledge of these courses.