Organic Chemistry [Hardcover]

John McMurry (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1376 pages
• Publisher: BROOKS/COLE (INTH); 7Rev Ed edition (January 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534420052
• ISBN-13: 978-0534420055
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #580,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John E. McMurry received his B.A. from Harvard University and his Ph.D. at Columbia University. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and an Alfred P. Sloan Research Foundation Fellow. He has received several awards, which include the National Institutes of Health Career Development Award, the Alexander von Humboldt Senior Scientist Award, and the Max Planck Research Award. In addition to ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, he is also the author or coauthor of ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, A BIOLOGICAL APPROACH, FUNDAMENTALS OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, THE ORGANIC CHEMISTRY OF BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS, CHEMISTRY, and FUNDAMENTALS OF GENERAL, ORGANIC, AND BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A low-level text masquerading as a rigorous organic text, July 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Organic Chemistry (Hardcover)

I have taught undergraduate organic chemistry for almost 10 years and have used this book (not by choice) for most of them. This book is incredibly easy to read and that is why many students like it. But the price that the instructor pays for that is in it's lack of depth. This book is NOT rigorous enough for the average science major/pre-professional student. In fact, I have used one semester, nursing level texts that were more rigorous than this book (Harold Hart's Organic Chemistry: A Short Course comes to mind). If you want a comprehensive and rigorous 2-semester organic text, I would recommend Loudon's Organic Chemistry far ahead of this nice and pretty but shallow text.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good intro book., March 28, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Organic Chemistry : 4th Edition (Hardcover)

Definitely. It's a great book for first-year organic, I think, regardless of what major you're in, because McMurry seeks to present the foundations of organic knowledge. While it's not as complex as some other books, I think it certainly allows the reader to get a good grasp on what's going on. The fact that it tends to be a light read is a good one -- especially on those nights before the exam when you have to skim through several chapters before morning arrives. :)

So yes. The book itself is very well-presented, with well-diagrammed reactions, colors, and figures that help supplement the text. The textual portions themselves can be a little on the weak side, meaning you actually have to listen to your professor in class. However, if you want a more rigorous and advanced approach to organic chemistry... look up Jerry March.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Organic Chemistry:4th Edition by John McMurry, August 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Organic Chemistry : 4th Edition (Hardcover)

Organic Chemistry:4th Edition by John McMurry is a great book. I've read almost all the chapters in this book. Everything is easy to read and understand. Although there are a few mistakes in this book I believe this is a great book. Anyone who wants to purchase this book must buy the Solutions Manual for McMurry's Organic Chemistry (by Susan McMurry) because the book itself doesn't have all the answers to the questions and has no solutions. I haven't read any other organic chemistry books yet and this is the one I've used to learn organic chemistry. Therefore, I can't compare this one to the other organic chemistry books. I was able to learn organic chemistry on my own using this book before I took my organic chemistry courses a couple of yrs ago and I got A's in all of my organic chemistry classes. Of course, one must not forget that it takes time to learn organic chemistry. I think it's a great book if purchased with its solutions manual.