Welcome to Virtual ChemLab: Organic Synthesis, a realistic and complete simulation of organic synthesis. In this virtual laboratory, students are free to make the choices and decisions that they would confront in an actual synthesis experiment and, in turn, experience the resulting consequences.


The purpose of the virtual organic synthesis laboratory is to allow students to synthesize a wide variety of organic compounds and learn how to characterize the products using modern analytical methods. The general features of the synthesis simulation include the ability to select starting materials, solvents, and reagents to synthesize targeted products; build an appropriate synthesis apparatus; workup reaction mixtures and perform extractions; and use a variety of analytical tools to characterize intermediates and products. The analytical methods available in both the synthesis and qualitative analysis benches include 1H and 13C NMR, FTIR, Mass Spectrometry (MS), and thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Products can also be purified by distillation or recrystallization. The synthesis simulation allows for over 1,000,000 possible outcomes and contains a spectra library with over 700 spectra for each available spectroscopic technique.


The synthesis simulation is process oriented where the synthesis experiments require certain steps to be carried out in sequence. Described below is a list of these steps in general terms. It is up to the student to choose the correct starting materials, solvents, reagents, reaction conditions, workup procedures, and purification methods. The student is also required to analyze their products and interpret their analytical results.

  1. Select a reaction from the list in the Stockroom tab and then choose the appropriate starting materials and solvent. Starting materials and solvents are added to the round bottom flask by clicking on their respective bottles.
  2. The flask from the stockroom counter is then dragged to the stir plate where the student chooses the appropriate reaction conditions by adding heat, ice, or nothing; selecting the condenser if needed; and adding nitrogen gas if needed. The student should also select the appropriate reagent for the targeted reaction.
  3. A reaction is started by clicking on the Stir button. The progress of a reaction can be monitored using TLC.
  4. A reaction is quenched by dragging the separatory funnel to the reaction on the stir plate. The reaction mixture is placed in the separatory funnel and the student then chooses the correct workup reagent. The organic or aqueous layers can be removed from the funnel by clicking and dragging the appropriate layer. Multiple extractions can be used as layers are removed from the funnel.
  5. Once the layers have been extracted distillation or recrystallization can be used to purify the products.
  6. Any of the analytical tools can be used to characterize reaction mixtures or products at any point after a reaction has been completed and is in the separatory funnel or after the workup or purification steps.