CHEM 2561
Organic Chemistry I With Lab
This is the first part of a two-semester survey of organic chemistry. The course will include an introduction to organic structures, reactions, and reaction mechanisms. The laboratory will meet on alternate weeks and include an introduction to laboratory methods in organic chemistry, including separation and methods of purification of organic compounds. Prerequisites: Chem 106 or Chem 112 and Chem 152.
Instructors
Jay Ponder, John Heemstra, John-Stephen Taylor, Jonathan Barnes, Joshua Maurer, Maria Cruz, Rhiannon Iha, Rong Chen, Vladimir Birman, William Tolman
Reviews
Actually the worst professor ever. Fails to even teach. Doesn\'t even know chemis
5/9/2026
Although orgo is a very challenging class, prof Heemstra made it very organized and interesting. He is a very nice person, and he really tries to remember your name. He is also very knowledgeable about this field. I am very glad that I can take my two-semester orgo with him. It is a great class.
4/24/2026
Just because you achieve as an academic does not mean you are skilled at teaching. I had to teach myself the majority of the content in this course despite attending every lecture and making a very active effort to try to learn.
2/11/2026
I appreciated that Prof. Heemstra drew out the mechanisms and tied concepts back into FMO theory. Exam questions were difficult & really creative, but I thought they were pretty manageable and generally like the LA worksheets. Personally, I found the content more intuitive than in Chem 111A.
1/3/2026
labs graded fairly easily. quizzes are SO hard. you have to memorize the procedure almost to do well. labs themselves are easy and orgo lab is way more chill than gen chem. de la cruz is ok and decently helpful but is cryptic for the problem sets that are UNDROPPABLE
12/25/2025
decent lecturer -- the course is difficult. the homework does not help at all and is extremely time consuming. I scored slightly above average each exam (avgs in 60s) but still ended with A-. 480/600 = A- and 535/600 was an A, which is an insane gap.
12/25/2025
Lectures didnt help much without going over the textbook, especially towards the end. Big textbook merchant! Averages usually hovered around the 50s-60s which she would consider to be a good performance. If you can, pls take heemstra for your own sake. An A- or higher is doable, but youll need to really utilize the textbook & sacrifice hella time
12/20/2025
I think she tries her best to teach, but her lectures are difficult to understand. I learned more from glancing the textbook as well as asking AI questions from previous exams/workshop questions.
12/20/2025
Material and exams were fine. Study old exams. Dr. Heemstra's lectures were fine, but I never felt comfortable with him. I guess he is better than Chen, but isn't there anyone better for orgo? My RA said to take Moeller…but I don't think he teaches orgo any more.
12/17/2025
Dr. Heemstra is better than Dr. Chen, but overall I found the course just a lot of memorizing. It was not hard, but not good. The bonus is the course was Tues/Thurs so I got it out of the way before Friday.
12/15/2025
Just avoid her at all costs tbh. She gives practice workshop questions every week, but they're literally only 6 pages long so u can never get any practice in. Also her exams r stupid hard, with things that you've never seen before. Then she has the audacity to tell the class that the exam was easy despite the average being a 50%.
12/15/2025
I don't understand how a teacher could be so unhelpful, given the resources of a class as big as Orgo and 3-time a week lectures. Randomly, in a help session, a small group of students were told that the AI program, which we were forced to use, was teaching us incorrect rules and mechanisms. The whole class was never informed.
12/14/2025
Avoid her at all cost. Exams are super difficult. Went to her office hours once about an exam and tried to explain through my reasoning but she got super defensive and wouldn't let me talk...
12/13/2025
Her lectures have improved significantly over the last few years. She is generally available and helpful during office hours. The class is difficult, but she realistically does a good job with the allotted time.
12/10/2025
Prof Heemstra has figured out a way to teach orgo in a way that feels appropriately paced. He methodically goes over each new concept, and from that point on, expects you to practice it on your own. The material is not easy, and he likes to challenge students on exams, but he is a great prof.
11/20/2025
actually so bad she doesn't teach at all. avoid at all costs
11/4/2025
Very kind and helpful if you talk to her one on one. It's clear that her expectation for students is that we teach ourselves, and lecture just goes over the main concepts (I mean hey, it does say that in the syllabus. Fair game). Get ready to read the textbook and go to office hours if you wanna do well.
10/27/2025