Customer Reviews

The Organic Chem Lab Survival Manual: A Student Guide to Techniques

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In this exceptional reference for first time students of organic chemistry lab, the author conveys what could be dry, boring information in a humorous, yet professional, manner. I actually found myself laughing out loud as I read a mock conversation between a lab instructor and a student about using boiling stones. Boiling stones! I never thought I'd find them humorous. Although brilliantly entertaining, Zubrick never fails to convey accurate, concise, intelligent thoughts on procedure, equipment, safety, and safety, and, oh yeah, did I mention safety? I think this actually deserves 6 or 7 stars; I know it's going to help me immensely in my lab work.

By far, the most useful and enjoyable science textbook I have ever purchased. Not only was it invaluable in pre-lab, experiment trouble-shooting and write-up, it was honestly fun to read! Written with a delightfully refreshing wit, the Survivor Manual will send you into lab feeling relaxed, prepared and ready to have a great lab experience. Without it I would have wasted alot of time and experienced much unneccessary stress!

Used it so much in lab, it almost became my right. VERY helpful! Easy to read with a nice twist of humor.

As well as being extremely detailed, intelligent and helpful, this book is hysterically funny, which makes it a joy to read and easy to understand. A nice change from the usual ...yawn... science-reference manuals. I would strongly encourage other students to take advantage of this terrific piece of work.

A must for the avid scientist in your family, helped me in many way through detailed understanding of priciples and equipment. Goog book for the novice or intermediate chemist . Will not dissapoint 5 stars

This is perhaps the best book one can own, formally educated or not, for how to safely and effective operate in a lab environment.

My memories of organic chemistry lab would not be the stuff of nightmares they are today had a reference tool like this been available. We were 'armed' with an expensive kit of breakable glassware and told to go forth under the sometimes watchful gaze of a grad student whose command of the English language was questionable at best, and whose patience for use newbies was minimal and extremely fragile. So much time wasted in trying to work out an assembly, this book provides many 'tricks of the trade' to successfully breeze through an apparatus setup. The language is conversational and friendly which makes for easy reading of a bland subject.
Coverage of more advanced analytical techniques is reasonable and actually provides a sort of timeline for those interested in the evolution of these machines and techniques....often leading to the exclamation, "So THAT's why we do it that way now!"

This book was chock full of concise, yet extremely valuable, information, and the wit with which it was presented made prelabs bearable, if not exactly fun. Thank your lab professor if this is a required book, and definitely pick it up if it's on the reccomended list (or even if it's not!).

This book promise so much by the wide coverage of topics in Organic lab. but it delivers nothing. Aside from listing the topics in the Table of content. The seemingly knowledable Prof. Zubric presents an unorganize, incomprehensible 294 pages of something that read like a page from a low budget Comic Strip. Am shock that a well respected publishing house like John Wiley and Son would lend their reputation to a low quality like this. The author talked about every thing that are irrelevant. what is needed is a good intro. to the subject like -EXTRACTION and then the stepwise layout of professional quality discussion of headings like - Materials involved; procedure; observation; conclusion etc. he fail to approach the subject prof. The book would pass for a Book of Short Jokes. Do not waste your money. D BOOK DID NOT HELP ME IN MY CLASS ANYWAY...