Customer Reviews

Organic Chemistry I For Dummies

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

*****Updated July 2007*************
This text exceded my expectations. I had an Organic Chemistry class that focused on, and taught from, a Physical Chemistry prospective. Great if you've already taked Organic I and II, horrible if you're starting in Organic I.

This text covers the Reactions covered in most traditional organic courses, and also covers the Molecular Orbital Theories usually emphasised in P. Chem. It was more than helpful. :)

Just like Chemistry for Dummies, this text covers all of first semester Orgo 1, scratches the surface of the beginning of semester two, and thats it.

Of course, its not going to cover everything, or it would be a textbook, but it covers the 'need to know' topics, and explains them well.

This is a great adjunct to the text and course. To be honest, it really didn't make any sense until I had taken the course and learned what I was reading.

This has great information that your prof. may have left out, And/Or it usually has a different way of explaining something, which may help or enforce what you've already learned.

For example: The Diels Alder reactions... in my Orgo class, we had a 1/2 page section on it in our notes, did 1 'practice problem', and were told to, "make sure you know this for the test". This book definately saved me here, with a thourough explanation of how, why, what to do, etc. I fully understood the reaction (I read it before class , but none of it made any sence, but going to class turns on the 'light bulb' and reading it before class is a great way to make learning orgo I much easier).

There are a few other adjuncts out there that may help, the standard deviants 3 vhs set, "the deep fried world of organic chemistry" may be helpful.

Have fun in class.

An excellent book

I saved myself many hours by reading this book. This book cuts through all of the countless details that fill up my million-page organic chemistry book and gets right down to the stuff that you really need to know for a test. I learned more from this book than my $100 textbook. The writing is even very funny at times, but the humor never comes at the expense of providing information.

Thankfully, this book is very easy-to-read. The writer addresses the reader directly, and the language is both simple and clear. Our class had already covered a lot of the material before I bought this book, so reading through the whole thing took me only about a week. Still, after reading through this book, all the concepts that confused me initially really started to make sense. The concepts and the connections between the different reactions and ideas clicked. In any case, the problem-solving guides, particularly on nomenclature, resonance, and spectroscopy are worth the cost of this book alone. Once I had worked enough problems using them, I found myself miles ahead of the other students in class.

I think if you read the chapters in this book before going to your class, work a lot of problems in your textbook, you will do well.

I discovered this book last week, and I only wish I had found it earlier in the term! The book is broken down into easy to understand sections and is written so that you can skip around to whatever chapter you need. The author explains the basic organic terms in the KISS method (keep it simple stupid) which is much less overwhelming than my textbook. He also approaches the subject matter with humor, and doesn't patronize.
I wouldn't say to use it instead of your textbook, but it's definitely a useful supplement. Too bad my instructor didn't have it on her 'recomended reading list' a few months ago when I was buying the necessary books for the class.
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This book is FANTASTIC. I taught myself organic chemistry from this book. And you must understand...I am chemistry-challenged. I had general chemistry in high school, and I did not recall a thing. I vaguely knew what an atom was, that it has protons and neutrons and electrons. That was it. Nothing about resonance structures, valence electrons, eloectronegativity, how to calculate a formal charge....

Then I picked up this book for fun. Suddenly, I was smart! I knew everything! It was amazing! There is no math in this book, and no problem sets. But after reading just a few chapters, I picked up my best friend's college-level textbook in o-chem, and I was able to read it, understand it, and do the problem sets! No problem! It was amazing!

I! LOVE! THIS! BOOK!

PS. If it has been 20 years or never since you've had General Chem, some parts of the book might throw you a bit. Luckily my best friend was taking her final in o-chem, and my college roommate is now a PhD in chemistry [and a professor], so I was able to email them stupid questions like, why does the Nitrogen have an extra electron here??? and get some answers.

I have always been wary of chemistry, regarding it as a foreign language I could never learn. I am not fluent in it, but I know it well enough to explain it to others now, and my Chem-geek friends are all tickled to death by what I have learned. This book truly is for "Dummies" and it really works GREAT.

I found the book extremely helpful. I used it as a supplemental review to help me study for my Organic Chemistry Final and for the Medical College Admission Test. The book covers the foundational concepts thoroughly and in an easy to read, easy to understand, format. It is no susbstitute for a real Organic Chemistry class, but it is a close second and if you read it alongside of your textbook you'll be amazed at how much easier the class becomes. After reading it, I found that I was actually able to predict the direction of many reactions, even though I had never seen that particular reaction before. I was using the authors website, [...] All in All a great buy.

The explanation of hybrid orbitals was flatout excellent. I don't think I have seen a better explanation written anywhere. I just wish the rest of the book was written as clearly.

I do not expect the 'for Dummies' series of books to provide indepth coverage of a subject or to provide me with quizes at the end of the chapters to make sure I understand the material. What I do expect is a decent overview of the subject written in language that is easy to understand (maybe with a little humor). This book did not achieve that goal.

After reading this book I still don't know 'WHY' different aspects of organic chemistry are being explained to me. Nor do I know 'HOW' all these different aspects of organic chemistry fit together. Worst of all is that I don't have a clue how the things I have learned apply to the physical world (i.e. in the lab). Everything is still very abstract. Parts of this book can get so abstract that it becomes difficult to determine the point the author is trying to make. Other areas of the book leave you with a feeling that large sections of material concerning a topic have been omitted.

If you read the 'for Dummies' series of books to get a basic understanding of a subject then do not buy this book. I suspect this book is a paired down version of a college textbook, but if that is what you are after then I recommend something like a Schaum's Outline.

Organic chemistry can be a very systematic and logical branch of chemistry, if you get from a good lecturer or text. Even with just a couple of terms in a freshman university class, you should be able to understand and draw pages of reaction pathways. Perhaps by using Winter's book?!

It explains the material pretty directly. No abstruse concepts. You learn enough to appreciate why alkynes have more energy than alkenes or alkanes. And indeed, how to go between these types.

The book also covers other kinds. Aldehydes, esters, ethers, carboxylic acids, phenols... All of which have a nomenclature that can seem terribly formidable at first. But the book explains the precise logic behind much of that nomenclature. If you follow the material, you can soon find yourself rattling off a 30 character name of a molecule, or being able to draw that molecule, given its name.

Hopefully, the book will help you appreciate the conceptual elegance of organic chemistry.

This is an EXCELLENT book that I think should be a MUST for anyone considering taking Organic Chemistry. It is written by a fellow student, who knows what people struggle with. He even gives some background review on concepts from Inorganic Chemistry which is very helpful. Organic Chemistry is a demanding, fast faced, often confusing and frustrating subject, even for the most intelligent. The author states that clearly, that it is a hard topic, but it is also one that the average person can succeed in if they put in the time and effort. I found this book to be inspirational, and gives you a clear idea of what you will be heading into when you walk into Organic chemistry the first day, and it is alright to be nervous about it, as almost everyone is.

This book helped me when I had no idea what my book or teacher was saying. It also contained a shortcut formula for dealing with units of saturation that was not found in my textbook. I would recommend buying this text for anyone who finds that their book is hard to understand, but I would NOT use it as a substitute for going to class and reading the text.

This book is an excellent way to begin to learn Organic Chemistry. The book covers most of what you will learn in Organic Chemistry I, and ends by covering the first few topics in Organic Chemistry II.

It expounds the material in such a way that almost any body can understand it. I personally struggle quite a bit with science, and often find textbooks (and even review books) convoluted and confusing. This book however, really lays some good foundations to begin to learn Organic Chemistry. It explains the basics in a clear, concise manner. The writing style is easy and conversational, so it is possible to read the chapters fairly quickly. I find that reading this book really saves me time in the long run. I read this book first, then I read through my textbook and attend lecture. Since I have already begun to understand the basic concepts, I can focus more on details. This really cuts down the amount of time I have to spend reading and re-reading my textbook. I develop an understanding for the material more quickly and more thoroughly than by just reading the textbook and going to lecture. It also includes lots of little tips on how to solve organic chemistry problems that also save you time in the long run.

However, make no mistake, this book is NOT intended to teach you everything you need to know in Organic Chemistry. I believe it is best used as an introduction or supplement to lay the foundations for more detailed material covered in textbooks and in lectures. In other words, this book could be the skeleton, and your textbook and lecture would be the muscles, ligaments, etc. that flesh out the skeleton. That said, I have found this book to be extremely helpful. I wish that they have an Organic Chemistry II for Dummies!