Organic Chemistry I For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science))

Great explanations, kinda need something more advanced however

Nicely written good book well planned out good for review!!!

This was very useful to go along with my organic chemistry course but it definitely wasn’t enough to learn from by itself since it didn’t go very far in detail on a lot of topics. I would still recommend this though to help better understand the course

If you have to help your college student out, this book is a great reminder and brings back those organic chemistry memories.

What was my life without this book? BORING!!My second round of organic chemistry I because the lectures/studying bored me to death and felt overcomplicated. But this book? I read like my favorite novel. When I first made my way to the organic chemistry classroom I was filled with excitement because organic chemistry is the nitty gritty of what makes biology so cool, but was quickly let down by the monotone teachers tinkering with molecular models in the front of the classroom that no one can see in an auditorium.This book brought validation to my excitement before starting the class by describing what each functional group does and understanding why reactions occur or what they are trying to achieve. Along with monumental tips/tricks/formulas that my organic chem professors merely muttered a,"figure it out."

I only had to get to chapter 2 in this book before I realized it could have replaced most of my first semester of chemistry in college (I say mostly, there was some stuff that was covered differently, let's be real). The writing is punny, clear, and easy to understand. I felt like I could have taught the class on organic chemistry afterward. This has surpassed my expectations. A very good investment to anyone wanting to get a leg-up in organic chemistry and really solidify their understanding of the material.

So, in my opinion there are (at least) two ways to teach organic chemistry, two types of professors. One is the chemistry way, if you will, which focuses on chemistry words, terms and concepts. Chemistry jargon, and lots of it. Mathmatic-y, formula-y, symbol-y. It's chemistry snobbery - like the professor knows no other way of thinking, or doesn't know how to explain it. The other way is from the mind of a biologist. Conversational, less jargon, more explanation. Don't get it? This professor will break it down. Like biology, you can see it. They make organic visual as it should be, not theoretical, or full of symbols.That's this book. Built more for the biology mind - in my opinion. (Guess which kind I have.) My first attempt at organic was from a chemistry professor and I failed spectacularly. I then took organic with a BIOLOGY professor, and got an A in Organic I, and a B+ in Organic II. This book "thinks" just like that professor. It made me look back at my first professor and think "Is THIS what he was trying to say?!" If I had this book on my first attempt, I feel certain I would have passed.

This book gives nice overviews of all the topics presented in my organic chemistry one class. The material doesn’t go too deep into explaining everything; however, I still agree that this book contributed to my understanding of the course. The author does a nice job of making real-life analogies that apply to the chapters without getting so wild that your mind begins to wander, if that makes sense.