Customer Reviews

Prentice Hall Molecular Model Set For Organic Chemistry

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought this kit when I was a college sophomore about 14 years ago (gasp!). And yes, it was precisely the same product being sold here today. I'm not entirely sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, since there doesn't seem to have been any improvements - but hey, if it ain't broke, right?

After forgetting about it for many years, I recently found it again in a box in the attic and was thrilled to discover I hadn't lost it, or given it away, or burned it with all the rest of my school things. I had always got a huge kick out of playing with it in school, and of course, I started playing with it again immediately! Gotta admit, it's hard to put down - kinda like catnip for nerds, which I guess makes me one.

Memory Lane aside, it's a solid little set, and includes the following pieces:

28 Hydrogen (white)
14 Carbon (black)
8 Oxygen (red)
8 Chlorine (green)
4 Nitrogen (blue)
2 Bromine (orange)
2 Iodine (purple)
40 Single bonds (space-fill)
40 Single bonds (open)
12 Double bonds (open)

Of course, some of the pieces above can be used in a pinch to represent atoms that aren't listed, but I rarely (if ever? *scratch head*) found that necessary in my basic chem classes. Overall, it was an excellent tool, and well worth the somewhat inflated price. I can remember buying many a text book that cost many times more - few of which proved as helpful as this kit, and none of which were as entertaining.

If I had to cite a negative, I'd have to admit they were a bit stingy with the carbon molecules - and sadly, the only other pieces that rival carbon's chiral-yumminess are the nitrogens, which are also in short supply. Besides, your molecule looks stupid with bunch of blue nitrogens pretending to be carbons - and who wants a stupid-looking molecule when your trying to be all brainy and stuff!? Consequently, I couldn't quite make some hydrocarbons of medium complexity, including my very most favorite molecule of all time! ...which shall here remain nameless.

However, this is all easily remedied! And in a way, that's what brought me to this page on Amazon to begin with. After all these years I'm going to buy another set just for fun! HA! With two of these babies, I'll be able to make almost ANYTHING. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha!

For a non-specialist like me, it's a bit daunting to try to develop intuition about how simple molecules are put together. It really helps to have a physical model, especially for subtle ideas like multiple stereocenters and 3D structures. This kit is a great way to help visualize and understand simple chemical systems.

It comes with 14 carbon "atoms", 4-holed black beads, and a collection of others: 2-holed oxygen, 3-holed nitrogen, and 1-holed hydrogen and halogens, all color-coded. The number of holes represents the typical valence of each atom type, but you can assign any meaning you want to the color code. Two kinds of connecting "bonds" plug into the beads: long flexible ones for stick models, and short ones that place the atoms butt up against each other for space-filling models.

The pieces snap together snugly, so the assembled models can stand a bit of rough handling. Someone with weak fingers might have a tough time pulling them apart, though. There are enough pieces to make lots of different models: sugars, amino acids, and other small, biologically important bits. I could ask for beads representing phosporus (needed for DNA) and sulfur (for aome amino acids), and there's always reason to want more of everything. Still, this is fine as a beginner's kit. And, as a desk toy, it lets you look like you're doing real work.

//wiredweird

I would recommend this kit to anyone who is taking organic chemistry. I found it very useful in learning organic chemistry mechanisms and structures. The high price is reflected in the high quality of the product!

In other reviews there were a couple of complaints about the kit not being realistic. However, the bond stiffness and design are surprisingly realistic (molecules aren't all that flimsy). The kit is perfect for create virtually any small organic molecule. It is excellent for seeing the difference between a chair and boat conformation, provided that it is put together appropriately. (My organic book and the directions were useful in arriving at the right conformation when I had problems.) The kit may just take a little bit of time to get used to, but it definitely is worth the work and time to see molecules in 3-D!

This works well for the beginning organic chemistry student ... but as soon as you get into more complicated molecules and have to start looking at hexane conformations (chairs, boats, etc) the short bond lengths start getting hard to deal with. The Molecular Visions Darling Model set is both cheaper and easier to work with.

Having taken and taught a lot of chemistry courses, and seen a lot of different styles of molecular model, I think I can safely say that this style of set is the best on the market. The bonds and atoms are sturdy plastic, and I have used mine as an undergrad, grad student, and now in my 9th year as a professor: and no breakdowns! (although there are some pieces MIA) So the quality of the kit is above reproach (although the pieces need to be worked in as they are quite stiff to start). For organic chemistry visualization, it is invaluable - the easiest (maybe only!) way to convince students of the existence of chirality is to build two mirror-image molecules with 4 different substituents and demonstrate that they do not, in fact, superimpose. There are plenty of atoms in this set to do this. I could have done without all the hydrogens if it would have created room for more C, N, and halogens - I often don't bother adding H atoms explicitly.

Unfortunately, this kit is essentially useless for inorganic chemistry, and therefore also for general chemistry. Most freshman textbooks cover basic VSEPR theory up to 6-electron pairs (SF6), and introduce geometries like trigonal planar (BF3) and square planar (Ni(CN)4, XeF4). None of these geometries are possible with the pieces available in this kit. For Inorganic chemistry, these geometries are essential, and I've needed to use inferiorly constructed kits when trying to demonstrate these geometries in my general and inorganic courses.

The good news is that an equivalent to this kit is available for general and inorganic chem. The bad news is that it's $15 more expensive. But I would HIGHLY recommend this other kit for any chemistry, biochemistry, or geology major. Biology majors might be able to get away with this smaller (and cheaper) version.

I should also mention the size: this kit is not appropriate for teaching in a large lecture hall (anything greater than, say, 40-50 people). However, they are big enough (and brightly coloured enough) for seminar rooms and small classrooms.

To sum up: excellent quality, but needs octahedral and trigonal bipyramidal central atoms to be of general use. If the latter is necessary, go with the more expensive Prentice Hall kit. (It's called "General and Organic" kit)

Get 2 though, larger molecules (over 14 carbons) cannot be made with this set alone, so if your getting into some more advanced organic chemistry you might wanna pick up 2.

I found these models difficult and I decided to switch to Darling models when we started learning about chair and boat conformations of cyclohexane. The cyclohexane I made with the Prentice Hall kit fell apart each time I did a ring flip but the Darling models worked perfectly. I don't believe Darling models are available on Amazon but they are available online.

Well constructed parts help beginners visualize organic molecules, with more emphasis on steric and geometric relations and less on bonding. Expensive toy includes enough atoms for most first year Organic Chemistry, but you'll need two sets for steroids and more complex natural products.

It has plenty of pieces. But no balls designated specifically as fluorines. They don't make very good models for chair or boat configurations.

As a professor of Organic Chemistry I think that this models are good in a few regards:

* They do a very nice job of accurately showing conformation and shape of molecules
* They are very easy to put together and pull apart
* The construction is very well done

However, with this set of models it is nearly impossible to easily demonstrate cyclohexane ring flips. Short of breaking bonds and re-arranging atoms there isn't a good way to show the transformation from a chair arrangement to a boat back to the other chair arrangement. Thus, I prefer and recommend Hgs Molecular Structure Models: Organic Chemistry. The Hgs models are of solid construction and very easy to see ring flips and conformations. The only downside to those models is that they are more difficult to pull apart. But I would rather it be harder to pull apart and easier to see the chemistry. The other nice thing about the Hgs models is that you can get the 100 Fundamental Organic set from Aldrich for only $20. This set has less atoms and bonds, but still has enough for most molecules in an introductory organic class. At bulk you can get them for $17 each + shipping and handling. For class orders this is an inexpensive option for students and allows them to have their own model set.

Like any model set, neither can represent triple bonds, but to my knowledge there are very few model kits that can.