Spring 2027

Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Introductory organic chemistry laboratory course covering synthesis, purification, characterization techniques, and critical interpretation of experimental data.

offering recorded2 credits
Recorded instructors · Spring 2027 Brian Esselman4.2/5Mary Beth AnzovinoNicholas Hill

Summary

1 / 6

Past student reviews · Brian Esselman

The course demanded significant time, including two multi-hour labs weekly and lengthy postlab reports. One student found the grading criteria on these reports confusing and difficult to navigate.

What you’ll be able to do

  • Use spectroscopic data to elucidate chemical structures and analyze samples of pure and impure mixtures.

  • Safely use basic organic chemistry apparatus, glassware, and techniques for the synthesis, isolation, and purification of organic molecules.

  • Obtain and use computational data to support their analysis of a molecular structure and/or reaction outcome.

  • Use the electronic and molecular structure of organic molecules to predict and rationalize chemical reactivity.

  • Construct and use a reaction energy profile to justify why a particular reaction system is likely to produce the product formed most quickly or which is most stable with an emphasis on the reactions of alcohols, alkyl halides, aromatic compounds, and carbonyl-containing compounds.

Source: UW Guide

Grade history

↗
average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

(CHEM 345 or concurrent enrollment) and (CHEM 102, 104, 109, or 116)

CHEM 344 used by

“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree

Professors

Spring 2027

Brian Esselman

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.26/5 from 162 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

For this course: 3.1/5 raw quality · 4.1/5 difficulty · 14 reviews

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Past student reviews · Brian Esselman

Brian Esselman teaches a demanding course with 2+ hour labs and 5+ hour postlab reports. Students found him approachable, though some criticized the disorganization, TAs giving wrong answers, and reliance on old videos. Exams were manageable for those who stayed on top of the material, but lab grading criteria were sometimes confusing.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.23 GPA, 46.1% A/AB (n=508 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.23 GPA, 46.3% A/AB (n=369 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.21 GPA, 46.8% A/AB (n=575 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.23 GPA, 46.1% A/AB (n=508 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.23 GPA, 46.3% A/AB (n=369 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.21 GPA, 46.8% A/AB (n=575 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.23 GPA, 46.1% A/AB (n=508 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.23 GPA, 46.3% A/AB (n=369 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.21 GPA, 46.8% A/AB (n=575 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Past student reviews · Barbara Whitlock, Ieva Reich

Historical students found the material extremely difficult, with one describing exams as really hard while another noted the content was challenging but taught well. Barbara Whitlock went slow and was open to questions, whereas Ieva Reich was praised for her teaching ability despite the material's inherent difficulty.

BENJAMIN HAENNI is recorded teaching in Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

BRIAN JOHN ESSELMAN is recorded teaching in Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

DINO RESS is recorded teaching in Spring 2008. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

IAIN MCPHERSON is recorded teaching in Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2016. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MARY ELIZABETH ANZOVINO is recorded teaching in Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2012, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MATTHEW BOWMAN is recorded teaching in Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

NICHOLAS HILL is recorded teaching in Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

PAUL WHITE is recorded teaching in Fall 2008, Spring 2009. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Spring 2027

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LAB 001Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 002Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 003Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 004Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 005Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 006Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 007Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 008Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 009Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 010Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 011Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 012Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 013Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 014Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 015Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 016Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 019Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 020Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 021Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 022Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 023Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 024Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 027Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 028Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 029Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 030Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 031Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 032Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 033Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 034Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 037Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 025Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 026Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 035Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 036Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 039Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 040Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 017Classroom Instruction0 / 180
LAB 018Classroom Instruction0 / 180

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records
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Student experience

the class

Past student reviews · Brian Esselman

Esselman teaches with high expectations and genuine passion for organic chemistry. Students found him approachable and accommodating when scheduling conflicts arose during the semester.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.23 GPA, 46.1% A/AB (n=508 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.23 GPA, 46.3% A/AB (n=369 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.21 GPA, 46.8% A/AB (n=575 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Past student reviews · Brian Esselman

The course demanded significant time, including two multi-hour labs weekly and lengthy postlab reports. One student found the grading criteria on these reports confusing and difficult to navigate.

Past student reviews · Brian Esselman

Opinions on instruction varied; one student felt Esselman was distant and relied heavily on old videos, while another found the exams to be nothing crazy and appreciated the option to skip one lab.

Topics

  • Organic synthesis, purification, and characterization
  • Spectroscopy and structural elucidation
  • Electronic structure and chemical reactivity

Skills

  • Elucidating chemical structures using spectroscopic data
  • Synthesizing, isolating, and purifying organic molecules safely
  • Using computational data to analyze molecular structures and reactions
  • Constructing reaction energy profiles to predict reactivity

Grades

Historical instructor

Spring 2027 · Projected

Before grades are released

– average GPA

Approximate 80% prediction interval

About this estimate

The course’s semester-average GPA, not an individual student’s grade. The center uses 5 same-season terms, weighted toward recent results.

The range uses the finite-sample 80th-percentile rank of absolute errors from earlier same-season forecasts. Each forecast uses only records from earlier terms. At least four forecasts are required; bounds are rounded outward and limited to 0–4. This is an empirical estimate: changing instructors or grading policies can reduce its coverage.

8 earlier forecasts · 0.04 GPA average error.

Grades over time

Through Spring 2027

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · all course levels

GPA

Higher than % of other courses in this group.

Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range

letter grades

More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.

Typical course in this group: letter grades.

About this comparison

1280 courses over the same term, each with at least 30 recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.

Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.

Download part 1
Selected offering source records
CHEM 344 · Spring 2027

Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Recorded 2026-10-29
Raw records 
[
  {
    "run_id": "20261029T213040-0fa85c20",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-29 21:30:40.248904+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:224:002768",
    "course_id": "CHEM 344",
    "course_uid": "course_75930c37cc749772d3f9356c",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "002768",
    "source_subject_id": "224",
    "title": "Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory",
    "credits_min": 2,
    "credits_max": 2,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews
Download part 1
Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-10-29

View the dataset on Hugging Face
Model outputs & technical records
Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B
LLM outputs across runs
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Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

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Model & dataset provenance 
{
  "model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
  "model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
  "task_version": "17",
  "output_id": "17c3a65be5b3fcce32073ec237979fc6ce9b879787dcc67e0aeeb9b307c9739e",
  "requirements_status": "needs_review",
  "dataset_revision": "c9cd06eaa45f9ddf7e69faa38b89ff3d3dd995dd",
  "observed_at": "2026-10-29 21:30:40.248904+00:00"
}