Organic Chemistry I For Dummies

The fun and easy way® to understand organic chemistry

Challenged by organic chemistry? Don't panic! This fun, easy-to-understand guide explains the basic principles in simple terms, providing insight into the language of organic chemists, the major classes of compounds, and top trouble spots. You'll also get the nuts and bolts of tackling problems, from knowing where to start to spotting sneaky tricks that professors like to incorporate.

Discover how to

• Prepare for exams
  

About the Author

Arthur Winter is a graduate of Frostburg State University (located in the mountains of western Maryland), where he received his BS in chemistry. Currently, he is a fourth-year doctoral student in organic chemistry at the University of Maryland in College Park, where his research involves studying extremely short-lived reactive intermediates (<0.000001 second lifetimes) using laser spectroscopy. He likes helping students with their struggles with organic chemistry and is the creator of www.chemhelper.com, an organic chemistry help Web site.

A good ADJUNCT to Orgo, November 18, 2005

*****Updated July 2007*************
This text exceded my expectations. I had an Organic Chemistry class that focused on, and taught from, a Physical Chemistry prospective. Great if you've already taked Organic I and II, horrible if you're starting in Organic I.

This text covers the Reactions covered in most traditional organic courses, and also covers the Molecular Orbital Theories usually emphasised in P. Chem. It was more than helpful. :)

Just like Chemistry for Dummies, this text covers all of first semester Orgo 1, scratches the surface of the beginning of semester two, and thats it.

Of course, its not going to cover everything, or it would be a textbook, but it covers the 'need to know' topics, and explains them well.

This is a great adjunct to the text and course. To be honest, it really didn't make any sense until I had taken the course and learned what I was reading.

This has great information that your prof. may have left out, And/Or it usually has a different way of explaining something, which may help or enforce what you've already learned.

For example: The Diels Alder reactions... in my Orgo class, we had a 1/2 page section on it in our notes, did 1 'practice problem', and were told to, "make sure you know this for the test". This book definately saved me here, with a thourough explanation of how, why, what to do, etc. I fully understood the reaction (I read it before class , but none of it made any sence, but going to class turns on the 'light bulb' and reading it before class is a great way to make learning orgo I much easier).

There are a few other adjuncts out there that may help, the standard deviants 3 vhs set, "the deep fried world of organic chemistry" may be helpful.

Have fun in class.