How to solve organic chemistry homework on iPhone

Photograph the problem, identify the reaction family, then check the product and stereochemistry before you submit. You can do that on paper with a checklist — or scan it and read a step-by-step solution on your phone.

The problem

Organic chemistry homework is rarely a single calculation. A typical set asks you to name the mechanism, push arrows, predict the major product, and sometimes assign R/S or E/Z. Doing that at a desk with a textbook is one thing. Doing it on a bus, in a lab queue, or from a photo of the worksheet is another.

An iPhone is useful here for three jobs: capturing the problem clearly, looking up a formula or degree of unsaturation, and reviewing a worked solution you can come back to later.

Step-by-step (without assuming an app)

1. Read the verb in the question. “Predict the product,” “propose a mechanism,” and “which pathway” are different tasks. Circle reagents, solvent, heat, and stereochemistry cues first.
2. Classify the substrate. Methyl / primary / secondary / tertiary, plus allylic or benzylic, usually eliminates half of SN1/SN2/E1/E2 immediately.
3. Classify the reagent. Strong nucleophile vs strong base vs bulky base vs weak (water, alcohol) decides substitution vs elimination.
4. Note solvent and heat. Polar protic vs polar aprotic; “heat” or Δ tips toward E1/E2.
5. Write the product, then the mechanism. If the skeleton changes, look for a carbocation rearrangement (SN1/E1 only).
6. Check stereochemistry. SN2 inverts; SN1 often racemizes; E2 needs an anti-periplanar hydrogen.

If you get stuck between SN1 and SN2, see how to tell SN1 from SN2, E1, and E2.

Useful tips

• Photograph the whole reaction scheme, not just the starting material. Reagents above the arrow are the problem.
• If the worksheet is dense, crop to one numbered item so you do not mix products from adjacent questions.
• Keep a short list of must-know additions (Markovnikov vs anti-Markovnikov) next to substitution/elimination. Markovnikov’s rule is one of the most tested.

Common mistakes

• Treating every alkyl halide as SN2 because “it’s substitution.” Tertiary substrates do not do SN2.
• Ignoring solvent. Polar protic solvents favor SN1/E1; polar aprotic solvents keep nucleophiles hot for SN2.
• Reporting only the product when the instructor asked for the mechanism — or the reverse.
• Using a generic chatbot photo dump without checking whether it named the reaction type.

How Organic Chemistry AI helps

Organic Chemistry AI is an iPhone and iPad app built for this workflow. You scan a printed or handwritten problem, skeletal structure, or reaction scheme — or type it with a topic hint. The app returns a step-by-step solution with the reaction type named (SN1, SN2, E1, E2, Markovnikov, and more) and the final product highlighted. A typical solve takes under 8 seconds. Every solve is saved to History on your device.

You get 3 free full solves. Calculators, quizzes, and flashcards stay free. No account is required, and solve images are not stored.

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