Organic Chemistry (with InfoTrac) Description:

Organic Chemistry (with InfoTrac) review:
4 stars (McMurry, best place to start) - Organic chemistry has gained an infamous reputation to be what haunts many science students. I have always thought that calculus and physics were worse.



It is because of the amount of information that goes into solving problems and understanding so many principles prior to getting a robust grasp of just one organic chemistry principle.



Questions like, why is cyclohexene considered a hydrocarbon or what determines a compound either being a nucleophile; require a good overall understanding of the basic principles of Organic chemistry.



Most students fail at it because they did not study the basic principles in an appropriate manner. McMurry is one of the best remedies for individuals in this case.



McMurry is all about giving a student an understanding of what are the basic principles of Organic Chem, from the quantum mechanics of the electron to what are the reaction mechanisms, finally applying these concepts into more applied organic chem techniques like spectroscopy.



Organic Chem is brought to life by McMurry as he makes an attempt to make clear the fundamental laws. If you are attending organic chemistry at higher levels other than first year then it is suggested that you purchase a more intense text but this book is probably the best for those just doing first year organic chemistry.



Regards,

A little voice.
4 stars (Great) - Really, I thought this was a great text. I feel like the layout really made a difference, though I can't say that had I another book I'd have learned o chem with any less success...but the background chapters really help with the overall grasp of the chemistry, and the review/carbonyl preview sections in the middle do the same so that things become predictable and simpler than with other texts I've seen. I thought all the diagrams were pretty clear along with the actual text, so I don't know what the lower ratings are about.
2 stars (Not enough) - This is the required text for my course. I've read it thoroughly and it seems great, but it definitely is not getting me the grade I want. I'm buying a different textbook to supplement.