A HIGH-SCHOOL COURSE IN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY HAROLD J. ABRAHAMS Central High School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
VAST and
complex as the field of organic chemistry nray be, its fundamental and underlying concepts are to a large extent beautifully simple and easily comprehensible to secondary-school students. The teacher of high-school chemistry will have noted that a t the end of the term there are always a few members of his classes who express a deep interest in the work in organic chemistry which usually terminates the year's course in this subject. These interested students more than compensate in enthusiasm for their smallness of number, and it is likely that most teachers have been embarrassed for lack of an answer as t o whv the h i ~ hschool cannot offer a course in organic chemistry. Organic chemistry has a long and honorable history at the Central High School of Philadelphia. It was taught a t this school as early as 1843. I n 1901 there were 95 students enrolled in organic chemistry a t this institution. Equipment was not lacking, and included such instruments as a polariscope, combustion furnaces, etc. The course proved t o be of inestimable value t o generations of students who were inspired in great numhers t o enter the professions in which organic chemistry is a "hand-maiden" and who later'spoke with great enthusiasm of the unparalleled preparational value which the high-school course had for them in a multiplicity of fidds ... ..... t,he lean years which followed the firstworld war organic chemistry disappeared from our curriculum. It was revived, however, in September, 1944, and bids fair to become a healthy and growing addition to our vrogram of studies. TwentGfive &dents were enr&ed dnring that term, practically all of them members of the senior class. They were given a two period per week lecture course, no facilities being as yet available for laboratory work. Enthusiasm ran very high and the demand for a second term was unanimous. Presented below is a topical survey of t.he course. The labor of planning and giving the course was more than amply rewarded by the fact that the class average in the final examination mas a grade of 92. Supplementary reading a s s encouraged and a half-dozen different textbooks re made available, but many members of the class purchased their own favorite texts and treated them \\~itllgreat awe and affect,ion. Any t,eacher mould have
been thrilled to hear the spirited discussions which were carried on among the boys on some obscure point before and after the lesson, and the expertness which some of them showed in the use of the jargon of organic chemistry by the time that the course drew t o a close seemed scarcely believable. Who can say what the destiny of these neophytes is t o be? They leave a teacher hoping that he has held "his lamp beside the golden door" for his boys. TOPICS TREATED
(1) Historical introduction,including "vital force" theory. (2) . . Eleotro and covalence. includine coordinate valence. polar, nonpolar, and ibnic moleckes. (3) Dielectric constant and dipole moment. (4) The tetrahedral atom of carbon. ( 5 ) Preparation and properties of the methane series, including systematic and common names of the first 12 members, Wurtz synthesis, isomerism, sthcture theory, etc. (6) Cycloparaffins, including strain theory. (7) Alkyl halides, preparation and properties. (8) Alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, ethers, acids, esters. (9) Preparations and properties of multiple bond hydrocarbons, including systematic and common names, addition reaction8 with hydrogen, halogen?, oxygen, and detection of multiple bond. (10) Poly-enes and ply-ynes. (11) Stereochemistry and isomerism; cis-trans and mirrorimage isomers, including cause, resolution of optical isomers,. im~ortsnce. . (12) Benzene and some of its derivatives, including properties of the nucleus and side chains, nomenclature, isomers, sulohonic aaids. -~~~~~ nitro cornnonnds. I"it,t,in Friedel~ ~ and ~ - -~ a ---.. ~~~~Crafts syntheses, Korner's 2-3-1 principle, rules of substitution, preparation and properties of aryl halides, free radicals, phenols. (13) Resonance theory. ~
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While organic chemistry was not listed officially as a "war elective," who will argue that it is not as much a preparation for cert,ain kinds of specialized militsry training as are any of the commonly accepted highschool courses? Boys entering various branches of the service are apt to find a knowledge of organic chemistry highly raluable to them. As for the difficulties of the subject, it may a t once be admitted that this subject is complex and challenging, but it d l always be the duty of any ed~cat~ional institution to provide its students with disciplines to tax every mind to its fullest. Nothing less than that should be accepted as adequate.
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