Customer Reviews

Organic Chemistry

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

In the preface of McMurry's book, he says that the main reason he writes Organic books is because "I love to write." Oh, great! That explains a lot! And it shows...this text is well-organized and written. It also can't help but give ya a warm, fuzzy feeling about Organic chem. But it comes off as a *joke* if you're a chem major and you actually want to *learn* organic chemistry! The discussions are often so incredibly simplified and spoon-feeding that many students come away saying, "Okay, now I know that this reaction happens. But I don't know *why*! " In other words, McMurry often sticks to basics and doesn't include mechanisms, and when he does, a separate entire page is used to show the whole mechanism, instead of placing it at the end of a paragraph of text. He also spends an excessive number of chapters on basic concepts including bonding, "the nature of organic reactions", and a review of General Chem concepts. It isn't until page 178 that he *finally* starts discussing the organic chemistry. I'm dismayed to hear that this is the textbook most widely used by Organic classes all over the world. I can certainly see using it for a very intro-type course, but not for traditional courses where most of the students are premeds and science majors. If you want a *real* Organic text, use Vollhardt and Schore's book, as I did when my class was trudging along in McMurry, learning only the basics from rote-memorization. Not only is Vollhardt/Schore a more sophisticated approach, but you will gain more critical thinking skills that will allow you to better attack complex problems. It seems like McMurry writes his books in an effort not to *scare* people off of an area of chemistry that has a reputation for being difficult. Noble intentions, but in the long run, it *can be* detrimental. For me, this book is like a "Cliff's Notes" of organic chem. In other words, it doesn't give you all you need to know.

Like many have mentioned, the book is good for beginners and intro classes. The problems and material are relatively "simple." If that is all you require, "easy," not very indepth and just the simple basics, the book does it's job.

I am currently teaching myself Biochemistry, but I was coming across alot of rough spots in that text. My undergraduate degree was in psychology, so I don't have an extensive biology or chemistry background. I picked up McMurry's text to help supplement some of the concepts I wasn't understanding in the biochemistry text and was surprised at how well he explains the material. From reading his text I feel that I am developing a strong background in organic chemistry to eventually understand biochemistry. Also, I'm finding alot of interest in organic chemistry on it's own because of how McMurry presents the information.

If you're looking for an organic chemistry text that presents the information in a manner that allows for heightened understanding than pick up this book.

One of the best science text I've read. McMurry is one of those authors who writes concisely in simple and highly organized manner. I've reviewed every OCHEM text I can get my hands on at the library; no one writes more clearly than this Harvard grad and professor at Cornell.

mcmurry has an incredible ability to simplify a complex subject. without this book, i never would have made it through this course.

After using this book for a year's worth of Organic Chemistry, I would recommend that anyone considering purchasing this book should use a different one. The examples are do not explain much and are mostly confusing. Reactions are not shown in full & there are inconsistentcies throughout both the text & solution manuel. More proof-reading would have helped a great deal.

I've read Solomon's Organic Chemisty and preferred it over McMurray. At least the reactions make sense when I read Solomon's.

Took organic chemistry, and got A's. Did it in part becuase of this book. Unlike other o-chem books, this one actually showed mechanisms and electron interactions between the molecules involved in the reaction.

It really is one of the best o-chem books I've seen. If you have to take o-chem, and this is your book, count yourself lucky.