Reorganising organic chemistry

To the uninitiated, organic chemistry can appear to be like a vast repository of loosely connected facts requiring extensive rote-memorisation. Such thinking is encouraged by traditional modes of teaching, which typically introduce the functional group concept and reaction sequences before students understand the underpinning principles of structure and reactivity. In their recent article, Alison Flynn and William Ogilvie describe a new approach, ‘Mechanisms before Reactions’, built around a mechanistic approach that focuses on understanding of the concept of electron flow and its role in organic reactivity.

David Read summaries and reviews the approach.