Customer Reviews

Organic Chemistry (7th Edition)

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To succeed with this book, make sure that you do all of the in-text problems at a minimum, in addition to whatever other assigned homework you get. I used the book for a class, but I would say that it's very good for self-study, because the in-text problems really help make sure that you're being an active reader and not just zombie-ing through the pages, and the solutions manual contains solutions to ALL problems, not just the odds. And when you're memorizing the reactions, probably the best way to do it is to use flashcards. One one side have the reagents on the left, draw an arrow, and have a question mark on the right for the products. On the other side, have the reagent, an arrow towards the products, and a question mark over the arrow. This ensures that you know the reaction inside and out.

One think another reviewer suggested that I agree with would be to add expected yields for reactions. Or an appendix of some of them, if it's thought that including them in early reactions might cause confusion.

EDIT: After finishing my second semester of organic chemistry, I have to say that I really agree with the reviewer I had previously mentioned, in that the book does get very repetitive in the last few chapters before the biochemistry. And there's not very many real synthesis questions. The majority of the "synthetic conversion" problems are two or three steps at most. But overall, this book is still very clear, and a good learning resource.

Having only recently completed two semesters of undergraduate-level organic chemistry, I can't say that I'm familiar with many orgo textbooks outside of this one. But based on my experience reading Wade's Organic Chemistry (7th ed.), I have to say that this is a solid, dependable text for any student studying organic chemistry, either in school or independently.

The textbook can be divided informally into three 'parts': basic principles of organic compounds and reactions (Ch. 1-6, which cover atomic structure and bonding, acidity, alkanes and cycloalkanes, stereochemistry, alkyl halides, and substitution and elimination reactions); functional groups (Ch. 7-22, which encompass the structure, physical properties, spectroscopy (first examined in Ch. 12-13), and reactions of the various organic functional groups); and 'applied' organic chemistry (Ch. 23-26, which provide a brief introduction to biochemistry and polymer chemistry). As one might expect, there is considerable overlap in terms of coverage among the three parts: Chapters 7-22, for example, repeatedly build upon not only upon the principles introduced in the first six chapters, but also on each other with regard to reagents, syntheses, mechanisms, and usage. Similarly, biological and industrial examples are included throughout the text (often as side notes, but occasionally as separate sections) well before the third part of the book introduces them in greater detail.

What makes the book particularly instructive is its visual consistency with regard to presenting and organizing the material. Color-coding (to me, at least) is a massive boon when studying reaction mechanisms and organic structures, and for much of the text different colors are preserved for specific chemical features. (Virtually all 3-D representations of p-orbitals, for example, are rendered in blue and green, and electron movement arrows are shown in red.) Every chapter also features green Problem-Solving Hints (small boxes that give tips on understanding and solving organic chemistry problems) and Strategies (larger explanations and procedures for aspects such as drawing chair conformations, solving synthesis problems, and interpreting IR/NMR spectra), which I found very helpful while doing homework problems - of which there are many, both within and at the end of each chapter - and studying for exams. Additionally, Wade clearly presents twenty "Key Mechanisms" - alongside a large number of regular Mechanism boxes - that demonstrate some of the most common mechanistic features among a vast array of organic reactions (e.g. SN1/SN2/E1/E2, alcohol dehydration, etc). Such features - along with several more that I haven't listed here, due to space - allow for great organization of the large amount of material that this book covers.

Nevertheless, there are several flaws to be aware of when using Wade's text. While the explanations of structural and reaction phenomena are generally clear and concise, the text does tend to present some key reactions very briefly before giving extended treatment to other reactions of equal importance. This becomes especially apparent after the spectroscopy chapters (12-13), which I covered in my second semester of orgo: a fair number of reactions are merely 'listed' (typically the oxidation, reduction, and halogenation reactions) with one or two examples, without being provided with mechanisms or practical (laboratory) considerations. To be fair, sometimes this information is left out for the purpose of having the reader figure it out independently, as in a homework problem, but the text does this too often and subsequently leaves gaps in the material. While this may not pose a major problem for life science majors, it can be frustrating for chemistry majors - such as myself - to merely see an organic equation without a mechanism or sufficient explanation to accompany it. It would also be more helpful if problems were grouped explicitly by difficulty level, so that students and instructors can be more discriminating when choosing practice problems and questions. And finally, the sheer price of the book is certainly off-putting; given that the solutions manual (which is absolutely essential for getting the answers to the book problems) is also rather expensive, I would strongly recommend that you try to purchase this book as part of a discounted package. (I took organic chemistry at Rutgers University in New Brunswick and managed to purchase the book, solutions manual, and accompanying model kit and clicker - all new - for about $125.)

In summary, Wade's Organic Chemistry (7th ed.) is a fine textbook for anyone with an interest in studying organic chemistry. When accompanied with a good instructor - and one or more friends/guides for assistance! - this book can easily become a very effective and instructive undergraduate text.

In a few words, this is a fantastic textbook.

I have never seen a book that goes into more detail than this one. The author is a very humble, down-to-earth guy and it shows in the way he wrote his book. He goes out of his way to make sure that the reader understands every aspect of organic chemistry even devotes parts of the book to problem solving tools for students and ways to remember the many mechanisms and reactions that are studied in the course.

The format of the book is exceptional and every aspect of that format is explained in the opening pages of the book.

I highly recommend this textbook to anyone with an interest in organic chemistry. The book may be dense but won't feel dense due to the author's ability to explain every detail in a way that any student can understand.

Buy the solutions manual! It really helps!

When I retired from teaching in a junior college a few years ago I decided to continue studying one thing or the other at home since I enjoy it and also because the "experts" assure us that mental exercise can help ward off old age mental decline.
A chemistry professor told me that he thought I would find organic chemistry to be quite challenging. I had double majored in physics and math in college about 50 years before but had only had one year of basic chemistry. So I bought the organic chemistry textbook that happened to be in the college bookstore--not the Wade book--went home, and confidently turned to page one.
After a few pages I decided that it might be best if I purchased a basic chemistry book for a quick review before trying to go forward in organic. When I opened the basic chemistry book for my quick review, it was as if I'd never seen any of the material before. I spent the next two years studying basic chemistry in my spare time before returning to organic chemistry.
The organic chemistry book I had purchased was pretty good but nevertheless it wasn't long before I came across a concept that wasn't clear to me. So I bought another organic chemistry book at a different nearby university and when I read about the same topic in it I finally understood. I enjoy self-study so I don't mind going from book to book when trying to understand a difficult concept.
I had even purchased a third organic chemistry book before I finally read about the Wade book. I consider the first three organic books I bought to be quite good but I wish I had accidentally started with the Wade book--it is truly outstanding. It is a rigorous book that emphasizes conceptual understanding and thoughtful problem solving.
Before the Wade book I felt like I was being inundated by an unending avalanche of disconnected details but Wade, as he says in the preface, points out a relatively small number of facts, principles, and fundamental mechanistic steps that should be learned to prepare for solving problems.
When you do have difficulty solving a problem, the Solutions Manual has by far the clearest explanations (occasionally accompanied by good humor) of any of the four that I own. It is the only one of mine that was written by a different professor than the one that wrote the textbook and, for me, that increases its instructive value--sort of like having a classroom professor explain the solutions to you without you having to pay the exorbitant tuition.
Although I still refer to my other three organic books from time to time the Wade book is now my main source and I spend more time studying it than my other three books together.

This text by Wade is the next in a long line of excellent Organic Chem books that I used in high school through college. Previous editions have been top notch, always with clear pictures and text that is easy to read. Unlike other texts, this one does not cram text onto the page but keeps it comfortable. The graphics are memorable, and the organization is logical which helps with retention. I've used Wade text for a few years now and can recommend them with assurance. OChem can be fun, at least in my opinion. Enjoy!

Easy to read with plenty of illustrations. Good section on spectroscopy as well. I am now able to listen to chemists without nodding out.

This book is awesome. It has the chemical formula for almost every organic compound, from vitamin C to testosterone. I read a little bit every day before class to know what my instructor is going to talk about before she talks about it. It is very helpful and has some solved answers to questions, and many more thought-provoking and practicing questions to help you learn organic chemistry perfectly.

i took this text, the 6th edition, last year for the full year course of organic chem. I and II. this text may be the 7th edition, but i am willing to bet 95% of it is EXACTLY the same as the 6th edition's text! plus, no one will buy the 6th edition, so what good is my advice if no one will read it there?

for my 6th edition book, the examples were very clear and the text was easy to understand. the problem solving tips and hints that littered the pages really enhanced and encapsulated key portions of the text, making it very easy to understand what was sometimes nebulous. i am a chemistry major and i count myself lucky to have had such a fine texbook to be my guide.

i heard alot of horror stories from others about organic chemistry, but with wade's textbook on my desktop, i passed the course (received an a in org 1 and had a b+ in org 2) and actually learned quite bit.

some advice for beginning students- get the book called "the nuts and bolts of organic chemistry" and read it the semester before you take the course. it will really prime you for what lies ahead. also, work lots of problems while reading the textbook. if you can, do what i did and work every single problem!! come test time, you'll be thoroughly prepared for those monsters. finally, try to understand the reactions- memorizing them really is not much help on the tests. i would know- i tried it!!!
the course final is, well, an evil creature straight from the darkest pit of hell. its done by the top tier members of the ACS society (they're a bunch of ph.ds in chemistry) and is really tough. study hard for that bugger... but i did good following that formula i just laid out and hopefully if someone reads this, you will too!!
best of luck!

Dr. Skip Wade has written a great intro book. He is very clear on all his explanations, and covers the chapter material with wonderful simplicity. He has a well balanced mix of theory, synthesis and mechanisms. The book is one of my personal favorites. Dr. Jim Romano Orgoman.com CEO

This book is awesome! It allows for me to do my homework and then check it as I go along to make sure I'm doing the problems right without having to repeat doing them the wrong way multiple times. Best thing ever! :)