Guidebook to Mechanism in Organic Chemistry (6th Edition) [Paperback]

Peter Sykes (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0582446953 | ISBN-13: 978-0582446953 | Publication Date: February 19, 1996 | Edition: 6

A classic textbook on mechanistic organic chemistry which is characterised particularly by its clarity, careful choice of examples and its general approach that is designed to lead to a ready understanding of the subject matter. This guidebook is aimed clearly at the needs of the student, with a thorough understanding of, and provision for, the potential conceptual difficulties he or she is likely to encounter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 6 edition (February 19, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0582446953
• ISBN-13: 978-0582446953
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #420,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern classic, April 10, 1998

By 

John McConnell (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guidebook to Mechanism in Organic Chemistry (6th Edition) (Paperback)

This book was recommended to me by a senior lecturer in Organic Chemistry at a Scottish university: A fine British gentleman - and a fine recommendation.

I have valued this book's clarity ever since and return to it again and again, although my current scientific work involves little organic chemistry. The book's presentation is hugely considerate to beginners and sympathetic of their problems. Even advanced chemists will appreciate its clear and insightful presentation of the logic behind organic reaction mechanisms.

Peter Sykes' book is certainly a model of clarity and to my mind perhaps the best book ever written on this vast subject. It is certainly my favorite organic chemistry book: All the explanations are clear and helpful; one is never (or very rarely) left dangling at the end of a presentation wondering just what in the world is going on, as seems to happen too often in other texts.

Sykes starts at the basic level of structure and reactivity, proceeds to acid/base equilibria, and addresses subsequent chapters to electrophilic, nucleophilic, radical, carbanion/carbocation reactions, Hammett plots, etc.

Really a wonderful read and an outstanding short reference. Certainly an excellent investment for anyone interested in organic chemistry. How odd most Americans are unfamiliar with it.

(If you value Sykes' presentation, the Royal Society of Chemistry used to have several audio cassettes of his presentations on organic chemistry.)

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Valuable Reference for Organic Chemistry, August 26, 2000

By 

Matthew M. Yau "Voracious reader" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guidebook to Mechanism in Organic Chemistry (6th Edition) (Paperback)

Peter Sykes' guidebook formats more as a reference to organic reactions such as nucleophilic substitution, electrophilic substitution, nucleophilic addition to carbonyl, elimination reactions, radical reactions and symmetry-controlled reactions such as pericyclic reactions. It is well written, clear, and succinct that undergraduate and graduate students will welcome it as a companion to an organic course. Sykes also discusses topics that are often omitted in an introductory text such as carbocations, electron-deficient species, carbanions, and linear free energy relationships. It can be thought of a compact version of Jerry March's Advanced Organic Chemistry, which is widely used as a graduate text. As a purchase guideline, I also purchased Hoffman's "Organic Chemistry: An Intermediate Text", and Bernard Miller's "Advanced Organic Chemistry", which treat the subject of electrocyclic reactions and cycloaddition more thoroughly. The portable size of Sykes makes it an excellent source of reference.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This book has good sides and bad sides, August 26, 2005

By 

A. Shankar "blue ego" (NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guidebook to Mechanism in Organic Chemistry (6th Edition) (Paperback)

The book is a condensed source of information of various different subjects relating to organic chemistry. In saying so it is a general overview of practical organic chemistry. Sykes is clear in his explanation and elucidation on various reaction mechanisms and as he states early on, he does promote a mechanistic perspective of organic chemistry.

Sykes is particularly useful for individuals who have done introductory organic chemistry and are venturing into deeper topics of the subject, i.e. stereochemistry and synthesis as examples (a lot of universities offer courses which purely concentrate on these regions of study).

Now the greatest downfall I see about the text is the price. March's advanced organic chemistry is much more extensive, newer and my personal opinion is that the authorship is better in March's

Another downfall is the age, although a lot of the topics that have been introduced in this book have not changed significantly and therefore dont seriously affect the text's validity; I still feel it should have had an update. This book was published in the 1980's (the late era of the decade).

All I am saying is that Syke's book is a classic, one can learn a lot from it and it is a fairly good reference book, however to my understanding there are better texts of the same genre covering practically the same themes as in this book.

I would strongly recommend any individual interested in this book to have a look at March's Advanced Organic Chemistry.