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2025-2026 / CHIM9283-2

Organic Chemistry II, Part B

Duration

15h Th, 15h Mon. WS

Number of credits

 Bachelor in chemistry3 crédits  

Lecturer

Jean-Christophe Monbaliu

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the second semester

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

Organic Chemistry II (Part B) provides a complement to the basic notions and fundamental concepts of organic chemistry (covered in the CHIM0205 course taught in Year 1 of the Bachelor in Chemical Sciences and in the CHIM9283A course taught in Q1 of Year 2 of the Bachelor in Chemical Sciences). The course explores the unique reactivity of carbanions and carbocations before focusing on radical processes. The reactivity of carbenes and carbenoids will then be illustrated. This teaching is structured around recent developments and modern strategies in organic chemistry, within the context of atom economy, green chemistry, and low-environmental-impact processes.

The course is organized into 4 chapters:

  • Chapter I: Carbanions
  • Chapter II: Carbocations
  • Chapter III: Radicals
  • Chapter IV: Introduction to carbenes and carbenoids
Each chapter (electronic version available on MyULiège) is supplemented with numerous problems and articles related to current developments in chemistry, in order to foster self-learning and curiosity. Multiple examples drawn from current industrial processes (pharmaceutical active ingredients, organic materials) and from biochemistry illustrate the omnipresence of organic chemistry in everyday life. Exercise sessions accompany each chapter to illustrate and put into practice theoretical concepts. Clear links are established with other major areas of chemistry to ensure a transversal approach from the early years.

Tutorial sessions (8 sessions of 2 hours) will complement the lectures. Four of these sessions will directly illustrate the course material, in the form of exercises solved in class, chapter by chapter:

  • Session 1: Chapter I (organomagnesium and organolithium reagents)
  • Session 2: Chapter I (organozinc, organocuprates, and enolates)
  • Session 3: Chapters II and III (carbocations and radicals)
  • Session 4: Chapters III and IV (radical anions and carbenes)
During the four additional sessions, alternating with those listed above, students will work with experimental protocols taken from the scientific literature. In a participatory and interactive manner, they will learn how to decode a protocol in order to extract the key steps required for its execution in the laboratory. These protocols are specifically chosen to illustrate different reactive carbon species discussed in the CHIM9283B course. Additional exercises are available online (MyULiège).

There are no laboratory sessions specifically associated with CHIM9283 - Part B. However, some theoretical notions discussed in the course will echo reactions carried out in the laboratory sessions linked to CHIM9283 - Part A, without any penalizing overlap for either activity.

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

At the end of this course, the student will be able to:

  • mobilize fundamental concepts of organic chemistry to analyze and predict the behavior of reactive carbon species (carbanions, carbocations, radicals, carbenes, and carbenoids);
  • describe and explain the mechanisms, selectivity, and reactivity patterns associated with anionic, cationic, and radical processes;
  • apply a transversal approach linking modern organic chemistry with industrial processes, green chemistry principles, and low-impact synthetic strategies;
  • solve problems and exercises independently using complementary resources and tools;
  • critically interpret experimental protocols from the scientific literature and extract their key operational steps for laboratory implementation.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

The candidate must have mastered the basic notions of organic chemistry as taught in the CHIM0205 course (Organic Chemistry I), as well as the complementary material covered in the CHIM9283A course (Organic Chemistry II - Part A).

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Tutorial sessions
The eight tutorial sessions (2 h) are organized alternately with the lectures. They accompany each chapter to illustrate and put into practice the concepts covered (see description above). The sessions are held in a classroom setting. The use of a molecular model is recommended but not mandatory.

Laboratory sessions
There are no laboratory sessions specifically associated with the CHIM9283 - Part B course.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Delivery of material in a lecture format (open discussion); Possibility of e-learning (online additional references and resources).

Course materials and recommended or required readings

Platform(s) used for course materials:
- MyULiège

Other site(s) used for course materials
- DOX (https://dox.uliege.be/index.php/s/0DrrG1h8iDZfhtM)


Further information:

Platforms used for course materials:

  • MyULiège
Other site(s) used for course materials:

Additional information:

The lecture notes (in French, with audio commentary) are available through the MyULiège and DOX platforms. Also available there are exercises and supplementary readings, problem sets for the tutorial sessions, and examples of past exam papers.

Recommended (but not mandatory) reference books, available at the Science and Technology Library or for consultation in the instructor's office:

  • Organic Chemistry, J. Clayden, N. Greeves, S. Warren and P. Wothers, Oxford University Press, 2012, ISBN 9780199270293
  • Mécanismes Réactionnels en Chimie Organique - méthodes synthétiques, stéréochimie et réactions modernes, R. Brückner, De Boeck Université, 1999, ISBN 2-7445-0052-6

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

written exam ( open-ended questions ) AND oral exam


Further information:

Exam(s) in session

All sessions combined

  • In person
  • Written evaluation (open-ended questions) and oral resit (optional)
Additional information:

The course assessment consists of a 3-hour written exam in the June session, covering the entire course material (with the possibility of an oral resit on the same day). The exam is mainly based on problem solving and the direct application of the principles taught in class. A resit session is scheduled in August/September if the grade obtained in June is below 10/20. The modalities are identical to those of the June exam.

Overall course grade
The overall course grade integrates the evaluation of knowledge acquired from lectures and tutorials. The final grade is expressed out of 20. It is calculated as follows: 100% from the written exam, with the possibility of being adjusted upwards on the basis of additional elements provided during the (optional) oral defense.

Work placement(s)

Nihil

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

Molecular model sets

Contacts

Course Instructor: Prof. Jean-Christophe M. Monbaliu

Center for Integrated Technology and Organic Synthesis - CiTOS

Department of Chemistry, Building B6a, Room 3/19

phone: 04 366 35 10 

email: jc.monbaliu@uliege.be  

Teaching Assistant: Sébastien Renson

Center for Integrated Technology and Organic Synthesis - CiTOS

Department of Chemistry, Building B6a

phone: 04 366 90 91

email: srenson@uliege.be

Association of one or more MOOCs

Items online

[CHIM9293B] - Class material
Organic Chemistry II, Partim B

Class material

[CHIM9293B] - Exercices
Organic Chemistry II - Partim B

Exercices

Examens types
Examens types