This course introduces the core principles of the language of organic chemistry and extends their use to the description of the behavior and reactivity of carbonyl containing functional groups. Topics include representation and naming, the use of various spectroscopic approaches to probe molecular structure, an overview of bonding models and molecular geometry, the development of mechanistic drawing, and the application of this mechanistic approach to the reactions of a wide range of carbonyl compounds.

A consideration of the contribution of thermodynamics to the understanding of the 'driving forces' for physical chemical changes and the nature of the equilibrium state. Topics will include statistical mechanics, thermodynamics, and kinetics.