Prerequisites

You are ready to start this book if, without looking things up, you can:

From general chemistry

  • Write Lewis structures for simple organic and inorganic molecules and count formal charges correctly.
  • Predict the geometry of a molecule from VSEPR (tetrahedral, trigonal planar, linear, bent, trigonal pyramidal).
  • Compare electronegativities across the periodic table and predict which bonds are polar.
  • Distinguish ionic from covalent bonding; recognize polar covalent bonds.
  • Write Brønsted-Lowry acid-base reactions and identify conjugate acid/base pairs.
  • Write Lewis acid-base reactions and identify the electron donor and acceptor.
  • Compute $\Delta G = \Delta H - T\Delta S$ and interpret the sign of $\Delta G$.
  • Write a rate law for a simple reaction given its rate orders.
  • Interpret an equilibrium constant $K_{\text{eq}}$ and use Le Chatelier's principle.
  • Apply the Arrhenius equation qualitatively: higher temperature means faster reactions, larger activation energy means slower reactions.

If one or two of the above feels shaky, you can continue and pick up the review where it appears in context. If most feel shaky, work through an OpenStax general-chemistry chapter or two first — you will have a much easier time.

From mathematics

  • Basic algebra: solve a linear equation, rearrange a formula, substitute numerical values.
  • Basic logarithms: $\log(1000) = 3$, $\log(10^{-5}) = -5$. Used extensively for $pK_a$.
  • No calculus is required to read this book. Optional sidebars mention derivatives and integrals, but you can skip them without losing the main argument.

From physics

  • Nothing beyond general-chemistry level. The book uses orbital and quantum ideas conceptually, not computationally, so you do not need to have taken quantum mechanics or solved the Schrödinger equation.

From organic chemistry

  • Nothing. The course starts from scratch. If you have taken organic chemistry before, you may find Chapters 1 through 5 fast; do not skip them. They build the mechanistic vocabulary the rest of the book relies on.

Tools you will want

  • A pencil. Organic chemistry is a drawing discipline. You will not learn to push electrons by reading. You will learn by drawing, being wrong, erasing, and drawing again.
  • Graph paper or a blank notebook. Many of the exercises require drawing.
  • Access to a computer. The computational exercises use free software: Avogadro for molecular modeling, WebMO or GAMESS for energy calculations. Installation instructions are in Appendix E.
  • A pKa table. Appendix B has the master table. Many students find it helpful to print it and keep it where they work.

You do not need a laboratory, a fume hood, or a set of chemicals. Every experiment in this book is either computational or a thought experiment. If your course has a separate lab component, that is a different — and also excellent — experience.