The Dual Faces Of Organic Chemistry

The perfect visual representation of organic chemistry's split personality. On the left, the colorful, happy face of naming compounds – "Look at me, I'm 2,4-dimethylhexane!" So straightforward, just follow the rules and name the rainbow.

Then there's reaction mechanisms on the right – the brooding, existential crisis of electron arrows, transition states, and stereochemistry that makes students question their life choices at 3 AM. "Where did that hydrogen go? Did I just create an impossible intermediate? Is my professor Satan?"

The duality of organic chemistry – where you go from naming a compound with confidence to staring blankly at reaction mechanisms wondering if you should have become an art major instead.