Strong preparation in general chemistry and physics is recommended. No home laboratory work is required to watch the lectures.
Optional preparation: Chemical Bonding: Free Course.
About this course
Organic chemistry becomes more coherent when structures and mechanisms are tied to evidence. This free Yale course introduces the ideas used to explain bonding, molecular shape and chemical change, while examining how those ideas developed. It is the first part of a demanding two-semester chemistry sequence.
Course at a glance
| Provider | Yale |
|---|---|
| Instructor / Teaching team | J. Michael McBride |
| Platform | YouTube · YaleCourses |
| Access | Free Video |
| Level | Intermediate · WikiFree audience assessment |
| Language | English |
| Lessons | 37 |
| Video duration | 30h 4m · allow extra time for reading and practice |
| Format | Self-paced video learning |
| Certificate | No certificate included with free YouTube viewing |
What you’ll learn
- Use structural models to reason about bonding and molecular behavior.
- Recognize how experimental evidence supports or challenges a model.
- Explain core stereochemical distinctions introduced in the lectures.
- Connect potential-energy ideas with reaction-mechanism reasoning.
Skills you’ll gain
- Chemical structure
- Bonding models
- Stereochemistry
- Experimental reasoning
Course Overview
The lectures combine conceptual foundations with historical experiments and the interpretation of molecular behavior. Topics include Lewis structures, resonance, orbitals, stereochemical relationships and the energy landscape of reactions. The course's central habit is asking how a claim is known, making it valuable for learners who want deeper reasoning rather than a catalogue of reactions.
How the course develops
- Models of bonding: examine the strengths and limitations of structural and orbital descriptions.
- Molecular shape and evidence: connect stereochemistry with observations and experimental reasoning.
- Chemical change: introduce energy surfaces, transition states and the logic of reaction mechanisms.
The classroom contains all 37 videos in this official YaleCourses playlist. Use the lesson list to follow the course or search for a topic you want to revisit. Introductory segments, teaching examples and supplementary discussions remain available within this course.
Who is this for?
Well-prepared chemistry students and independent learners seeking a rigorous first organic chemistry course.
Before you start
Strong preparation in general chemistry and physics is recommended. No home laboratory work is required to watch the lectures.
Put the lessons into practice
Choose a molecular model discussed in a lecture and list what it explains, what it leaves out and the observations used to support it. Sketch the relevant structures and annotate your reasoning.
This optional study activity is provided by WikiFree for independent reflection. It is not a graded Yale assignment. Keep a short record of what you can explain confidently and what you need to revisit; use that record to plan your next study session.
Certificate / Assessment
The public videos can be watched free of charge. This WikiFree listing does not include a Yale certificate, academic credit, a degree, graded assessments or feedback from the instructors. A similarly named course on another platform may have different enrollment, assessment and payment conditions.
The classroom’s Mark complete control records your personal progress. It does not assess your understanding or award a credential. Course examples reflect the recordings; check current sources whenever you need up-to-date professional information.
Related courses for your next step
- Compare another approachFree Yale Course: Organic Chemistry II: Reactions and Spectroscopy
Focus: Reaction mechanisms · Spectroscopy
Intermediate - Review a lower-level optionChemical Bonding: Free Course
Focus: Chemical reasoning · Units and notation
Beginner - Review a lower-level optionFree MIT Course: General Chemistry: Atoms, Bonding and Reactions
Focus: 1. The Importance of Chemical Principles · 9. Periodic Table; Ionic and Covalent Bonds
Beginner
Compare course focus, level and study time
| Course | Level | Focus | Study time |
|---|---|---|---|
| This course — Free Yale Course: Organic Chemistry I: Structure and Mechanisms | Intermediate | Chemical structure · Bonding models · Stereochemistry | 30h 4m of video; practice time is additional |
| Free Yale Course: Organic Chemistry II: Reactions and Spectroscopy | Intermediate | Reaction mechanisms · Stereochemistry · Spectroscopy | 31h 20m of video; practice time is additional |
| Chemical Bonding: Free Course | Beginner | Chemical reasoning · Units and notation · Molecular concepts | 54m of video; practice time is additional |
| Free MIT Course: General Chemistry: Atoms, Bonding and Reactions | Beginner | 1. The Importance of Chemical Principles · 9. Periodic Table; Ionic and Covalent Bonds · 18. Introduction to Chemical Equilibrium | 25h 24m of video; practice time is additional |
Frequently asked questions
Is this Yale course free?
Yes. This listing provides the official YaleCourses YouTube videos for free viewing. Textbooks, optional materials and separately enrolled programs may have their own costs.
How long does the course take?
The playlist contains 37 videos totaling approximately 30h 4m. Reading, note-taking, revision and independent practice add to that viewing time.
What background do I need?
Strong preparation in general chemistry and physics is recommended. No home laboratory work is required to watch the lectures.
Will I receive a Yale certificate?
No. Watching these YouTube lessons or marking them complete on WikiFree does not earn a Yale certificate, degree or academic credit.
Can I watch on a phone?
Yes. Use the responsive lesson list and player on a phone, tablet or computer. A larger screen and a notebook may help with detailed examples, equations or software demonstrations.
What happens if a video becomes unavailable?
The lesson should remain visible in its place with its title and an availability notice. You can continue with the other lessons and report the problem through the correction link.
Provider: Yale. Videos play from the YaleCourses channel on YouTube.
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