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
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
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).
