The Organic Chem Lab Survival Manual, A Student's Guide to Techniques [Paperback]

James W. Zubrick (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470129328 | ISBN-13: 978-0470129326 | Publication Date: May 18, 2007 | Edition: 7

* Praised by students and faculty for its clarity, use of humor, and appropriate amount of detail.
* Emphasis on safety in the lab encourages students to maintain safe practices.
* Succinct coverage of information makes it ideal for quick reference in the lab.
* Short sections with targeted information make information easier to find and comprehend.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

How to ace Organic Chem Lab … without blowing anything up.

“The tongue-in-cheek conversational tone of the manual makes it very favorably received by the students…Students do not have to wade through a lot of text to get the important information.” — DR. LYNNE CANNON, The University of Iowa

“The major strengths of Zubrick’s lab manual are his writing style and his sense of humor.” — DR. HENRY GINGRICH, Princeton University

If you want to get through Organic Lab in one piece—and with a good grade—you need this guide. Famous among organic chem. students for its humor and clarity, The Organic Lab Survival Manual gets you up to speed on the instruments you’ll be using in Organic Chemistry lab and on the techniques you’ll have to master to perform your experiments. Diagrams show you how to make measurements, set up labs, and perform meaningful experiments, while following the rules that will keep you, your classmates, and the environment safe.

Ideal as a quick lab reference as well as a beginner’s guide, this new edition helps you:

• Understand and practice good lab safety
• Become familiar with basic instruments and techniques, including jointware, pipet tips. syringes, needles, and septa, cleaning and drying, recrystallization, extraction and washing, distillation, sublimation, chromatography, infrared spectroscopy
• Master the latest techniques, such as interpreting spectra with IR Spectroscopy
• Prepare thoroughly, with pre-lab quizzes and other study aids 

About the Author

James W. Zubrick is Professor of Chemistry at Hudson Valley Community College.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 7 edition (May 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470129328
• ISBN-13: 978-0470129326
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Science & Math > Experiments, Instruments & Measurement > Methodology & Statistics

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Organic Lab Primer For Beginning Students, November 26, 2000

By 

Matthew M. Yau "Voracious reader" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Organic Chem Lab Survival Manual: A Student's Guide to Techniques, 4th Edition (Paperback)

This volume provides a plethora of information on equipment and techniques for introductory organic chemistry laboratory. It is best suited for first year organic sequence. A great deal of info includes keeping a lab notebook, experiment glasswares, separation techniques and IR spectroscopy. A particular section that I find helpful and handy is the discussion on jointware. The distinction and usage on different kinds of adaptation jointwares can be confusing. I believe Zubrick's book is one of the few out in the field that actually discusses the use of different jointware. The section "To Grease or not to grease" discusses whether or not to use a lubricant and when to use lubricant. For a novice organic lab student who is both confused and overwhelmed by massive equipment in the lab, this book is the perfect primer. Yet the information might be oversimplified and scarce to advanced student and lab chemist. Coverage on topics like TLC, distillation theory, spectroscopy could be more in-depth and detailed. I recommend this book for beginning students. For more advanced students, they should consult Vogel's "Practical Organic Chemistry".

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Possibly a little too basic, February 26, 2000

By 

Christopher McKay (Leeds, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Organic Chem Lab Survival Manual: A Student's Guide to Techniques, 4th Edition (Paperback)

I would recommend this book only for the absolute beginner in organic chemistry. While it does much to inspire confidence in the novice student, some of Prof. Zubrick's explanations of laboratory techniques could be a little more detailed. A better bet is Advanced practical organic chemistry, by Leonard, Procter and Lygo.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A put-you-at-ease manual for a keep-you-on-edge subject, June 19, 2001

By 

"ursaspaw" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Organic Chem Lab Survival Manual: A Student's Guide to Techniques, 4th Edition (Paperback)

Professor Zubrick cuts to the heart of the intimidating subject of Organic Chemistry. His dry, even warped sense of humor is a welcome break from the usual style found in chemistry texts. This book is worth reading even if you're not taking Organic Chem! As some of the other reviewers say, it is not a daily reference for the practicing organic chemist, but for anyone taking O Chem I or II, it is an absolute must-have! The numerous diagrams help make sense of which part is which, and how they go together. The detail Prof. Zubrick provides is sufficient without being excessive, which makes reading this book actually fun for anyone. His explanations will make you snicker, if not laugh out loud! If you're the only student in the class with this book, keep a close eye on it, it may grow legs. I promise (if you have a sense of humor), you'll enjoy this book more than most others, on this topic or otherwise!