CHEM 769/7690 - Physical Organic Chemistry
Semester: Winter 2026
Professor: A. Schwan | Discipline: Organic | Campus: GuelphDescription
Physical organic chemistry, including a discussion of reactive intermediates, substituent effects, pericyclic reactions, radical chemistry and a basic theoretical description of the bonding in organic molecules.
Method of Presentation: One 2 1/2 hour lecture per week, Monday evenings at 7:00 pm by live lectures on TEAMS, often originating from MacN 101. First lecture is Mon. Jan. 5, 2025. There will be no lecture during reading week (Feb. 16).
Materials
Modern Physical Organic Chemistry, E.V. Anslyn and D.A Dougherty….suggested
The text is a useful reference for most of the topics to be covered in the lectures. Further references will be given where appropriate. Supplemental information in the form of class notes are provided. These will be presented to you in some form in advance of lectures.
Several useful general texts:
Anslyn and Dougherty as noted above
Felix A. Carroll Perspectives on Structure and Mechanism in Organic Chemistry
F.A. Carey and R.J. Sundberg Advanced Organic Chemistry Part A: Structure and Mechanisms. 5th Ed.
Neil Isaacs Physical Organic Chemistry, 2nd Ed.
T.H. Lowry and K.S. Richardson Mechanism and Theory in Organic Chemistry
Evaluation
The course grade will be based on a final examination, some problem assignments and an essay and oral defense of one research group’s recent efforts in physical organic or related chemistry. The oral defense of your essay will be scheduled on an individual basis in late March/early April. The final examination will be given in April. Regular problem sets will be comprised of a few questions. Several practice problems will be part of the course notes. The absolute final due date for the essay is March 25, 2026.
The final grade will be calculated as follows:
research essay 15%
oral defense of research essay 15%
problem assignments some including computation 35%
final examination 35%
Should you wish to drop one of your in-term efforts (once you have completed it and seen your grade) and make the final exam worth the difference, that option is available and should be requested in writing (email) before you write the final.
Lab/Project
- Kinetics and Mechanism
(a) Transition state theory
(b) Energy profiles
- Substituent Effects on Organic Rates and Equilibria
(a) Qualitative description of substituent effects
- Linear free energy relationship: the Hammett equation
- Acid and Base catalysis
- Rapid and superficial review molecular orbitals for organic chemistry with computational chem
(a) Layout of MO’s
(b) Regularities in Molecular Orbitals
(c) The concept of aromaticity
(d) Computational Chemistry tools; Gaussian and/or OMol25
- Aromaticity
(a) NMR analysis of aromaticity
(b) Homoaromaticity
(c) Heterocyclic aromaticity
- Orbital Symmetry Control of Concerted Reactions
(a) FMO analysis of pericyclic reactions
(b) Introduction to 1,3-dipoles
(c) Other reactive species in pericyclic reactions
- Radical Reactions
(a) Concepts and BDE’s
- Prevalence
- Rearrangements
- Evaluation/presentation of Some Research Publications
-to take place throughout the year as a class discussion
Schedule
- Mon: 7:00 pm - 9:20 pm in MacN 101
