Organic Chemistry

This review is based on 3rd Edition from a library. I'm using this book for self-study of organic chemistry, not as part of a course. Because of that, I need books that are thorough, clear, and build concepts up with few holes and answer questions that may come to mind in a student, and also keeps explanations simple and vivid. I think this book rates high for that. It is extremely well organized, with a good review of basic chemistry leading right in to organic chemistry. I like the clear simple typography and diagrams (in the 3rd edition, haven't seen the latest). I don't think all the flashy colors and photorealistic (hah!) pictures of molecules in some books add any more information - just distraction. Ultimately, you have to straighten out the picture in your head anyway to have insights. I very much like the really clear, concise sentences and short sections that help you digest the info in bites, and also make the text much more useful as a reference. Terminology is quite well explained. The order of subjects and building of concepts seems very good. I would probably like a little more of the "why" and why not when it comes to explaining reactions, such as why a certain is displaced instead of another, perhaps a bond energy explanation or something. However, the text is not completely lacking in such discussions, there are useful digressions in many cases. Overall I think it is an excellent meat and potatoes presentation of organic chemistry. I have a feeling that some subtleties are left out for clarity, but for an introduction to organic chem, that may be a plus. The index, like most, could be even more thorough, but par as is. I like the book. It's not flashy, but super solid and the authors seem to reach out to the student without being folksy, and excel in organization and clear writing. I'd like to own a copy.

This is a fine text. The authors have broken down a rather difficult subject into easily digestable units, which helped my understanding of the whole. You should also use the companion CD. This is a great tool for visualizing the 3-D structure of complex molecules. I bought this book and have refered to it many times. Do yourself a favor and buy this great text!!!

I think if you're chemistry major while you're taking organic chemistry, you should buy this text, because it helps you steps by steps. Of course, whoever disagrees my opinion, I've no control to know which organic text(s) is the best.