The goal of this course is to provide participants with a sound background in the structures and physical and chemical properties of organic compounds using an inquiry-based instructional model which they can implement in their own classrooms. The prerequisite is one year of college-level general chemistry, and most participants will enter the program with this course. Because of the anticipated diversity of participants' backgrounds, concepts from general chemistry which are relevant to organic chemistry will be reviewed and used as a framework for understanding organic chemical concepts.

The sequencing of topics is closely correlated with the course Information Technology in Chemistry which will use many of those topics as a vehicle for information searching and laboratory experiments. The concepts developed will provide a foundation for understanding how the chemistry is applied to societal needs in medicine, industry, agriculture, and basic research and also for understanding the health, environmental, and economic issues to which those applications lead .