Organic Chemistry (with Infotrac)

Was very impressed by the service and the condition of the book. It came fast and the price was great. Keep it up!!!!

Really, I thought this was a great text. I feel like the layout really made a difference, though I can't say that had I another book I'd have learned o chem with any less success...but the background chapters really help with the overall grasp of the chemistry, and the review/carbonyl preview sections in the middle do the same so that things become predictable and simpler than with other texts I've seen. I thought all the diagrams were pretty clear along with the actual text, so I don't know what the lower ratings are about.

"...I write to explain chemistry to students the way I wish it had been explained to me years ago." McMurry has that line in the introduction to the text, and when I read that in the 3rd edition some years ago, it was one of the things that kept me from tucking tail and changing my major. He remains true to those words. This text is clear and unambiguous in its presentation. Rather than inundating the reader with details and overly rigorous academic explanations, as some texts do, McMurry presents organic chemistry in a straightforward, streamlined manner. The text progresses from basic physical organic chemistry and molecular orbital theory through functional groups and their reactivity, finally culminating in appropriate, but not exhaustive, chapters on biomolecules. After having learned organic chemistry from McMurry, I personally found tackling more advanced graduate texts (e.g. Carey and Sundberg) a more tractable endeavor.

McMurry's Organic Chemistry is a great textbook. The text is clear and uncluttered, especially compared to others. The graphics organize the information well. Also, the back of the solutions manual has an organized summary of the reactions.If you are using it as a supplement to your assigned book, I find that the previous (5th?) is just fine, and is probably much cheaper than the new edition.

I used this text for 2 semesters of Organic Chemistry. I thought it was fantastic, with very colorful, helpful electrostatic potential maps. It showed clear reaction mechanisms and gave a summary of all learned reactions at the end of the chapter. If you need to learn Organic chem, McMurry is the way to go. EDIT It's now 2006 and I wrote that review in 2004. McMurry is an excellent guide to sophomore organic chemistry, and it leads well into more complicated texts, such as Dougherty's Physical Organic, March's Advanced Organic, or the dual Carey Advanced Organic tests. When I started grad school, I had to take the ACS Diagnostic test in organic chemistry and I aced it, largely from the material that I learned from this book.