Truly Organic!, 06 Jan 2008
I bought this book in January 2007 for my MChem course at a much higher price (£59.99) from a well known University bookshop. Although I paid way too much for it I have to say it's the best investment I ever made as I found it to be very useful throughout the duration of my Masters. The book starts off in a very basic to almost A Level standard manner. The reader does not have to have any prior understanding of organic chemistry as the book begins with a section on "What is organic chemistry" and then leads onto organic structures and how to determine structures using different spectroscopic instruments. In total there are 53 chapters which include: Organic reactions, Delocalisation and conjugation, Acidity, Basicity and pKa, Equilibria, Stereochemistry, Retrosynthetic analysis, Fragmentation, Radical reactions, Asymmetric synthesis, Organometallic chemistry and Polymerization. This book helped me score 89% on my Masters. I'm now in my 1st year of my Chemistry PhD and I'm still referring to it! I would recommend every organic chemist (whether undergrad, postgrad or even postdoc) to own a copy of this book. It's a truly organic gem!!!

Best Organic Chem Book there is!, 30 Jul 2007

I bought this book for my undergraduate days, I dont know any better organic book as it has everything in right from the begining to more advanced concepts. Organic Chemistry is also well written and well illustrated as well.

If you go into organic chemistry or pharaceuticals, dont sell this book as it is all you will ever need!

Incredible book!, 01 Jul 2007
I am a high school student who made use of this book (and others) while preparing for my interview at the university of Oxford.

This book has thoroughly enhanced my understanding in the (broad!) field of organic chemistry.
The visual aspect of the book is outstanding. All reactions are coloured so as to emphasize on certain bonds and atoms in the molecules. There are continuous suggestions for students to compare certain reactions with others previously studied.
The content spans over 50 chapters. Unlike older texts where the division is made according to functional groups: (Chapter 1: alkanes, chapter 2: alkenes .....) this book instead classifies each chapter according to reaction types (nucleophilic, electrophilic substitution; nucleophilic, electrophilic addition; elimination E1, elimination E2 etc).

The text never digresses badly, and it always keeps in mind that it is a (high-school, college etc.) student reading.

I recommend this textbook to anyone interested in the field of organic chemistry.

The best undergraduate organic chemistry book ever written, 28 Aug 2006
This book manages to present the fundamentals of organic chemistry in such an engaging and clear manner that it is an absolute joy to use.

The questions reinforce the material wonderfully and provide a steady learning curve, first building confidence and then stretching the student.

The companion solutions text is definately also worth considering if you are using this book as a tutorial.

All in all, one of the best books you will come across as a student of chemistry.

Definitely worth the money, 20 Aug 2005
If you are serious about learning organic chemistry then go direct to the source. Stuart Warren and his fellow authors have really done a good job with this undergraduate level text.

The book is clearly laid out in sections with good use of colour and diagrams.

There is a glut of books on organic chemistry on the market but not all are as clear and accessible as this one.

Do yourself a favour and get this book and the solutions manual to go with it.

Truly Organic!, 06 Jan 2008
I bought this book in January 2007 for my MChem course at a much higher price (£59.99) from a well known University bookshop. Although I paid way too much for it I have to say it's the best investment I ever made as I found it to be very useful throughout the duration of my Masters. The book starts off in a very basic to almost A Level standard manner. The reader does not have to have any prior understanding of organic chemistry as the book begins with a section on "What is organic chemistry" and then leads onto organic structures and how to determine structures using different spectroscopic instruments. In total there are 53 chapters which include: Organic reactions, Delocalisation and conjugation, Acidity, Basicity and pKa, Equilibria, Stereochemistry, Retrosynthetic analysis, Fragmentation, Radical reactions, Asymmetric synthesis, Organometallic chemistry and Polymerization. This book helped me score 89% on my Masters. I'm now in my 1st year of my Chemistry PhD and I'm still referring to it! I would recommend every organic chemist (whether undergrad, postgrad or even postdoc) to own a copy of this book. It's a truly organic gem!!!

Best Organic Chem Book there is!, 30 Jul 2007

I bought this book for my undergraduate days, I dont know any better organic book as it has everything in right from the begining to more advanced concepts. Organic Chemistry is also well written and well illustrated as well.

If you go into organic chemistry or pharaceuticals, dont sell this book as it is all you will ever need!

Incredible book!, 01 Jul 2007
I am a high school student who made use of this book (and others) while preparing for my interview at the university of Oxford.

This book has thoroughly enhanced my understanding in the (broad!) field of organic chemistry.
The visual aspect of the book is outstanding. All reactions are coloured so as to emphasize on certain bonds and atoms in the molecules. There are continuous suggestions for students to compare certain reactions with others previously studied.
The content spans over 50 chapters. Unlike older texts where the division is made according to functional groups: (Chapter 1: alkanes, chapter 2: alkenes .....) this book instead classifies each chapter according to reaction types (nucleophilic, electrophilic substitution; nucleophilic, electrophilic addition; elimination E1, elimination E2 etc).

The text never digresses badly, and it always keeps in mind that it is a (high-school, college etc.) student reading.

I recommend this textbook to anyone interested in the field of organic chemistry.

The best undergraduate organic chemistry book ever written, 28 Aug 2006
This book manages to present the fundamentals of organic chemistry in such an engaging and clear manner that it is an absolute joy to use.

The questions reinforce the material wonderfully and provide a steady learning curve, first building confidence and then stretching the student.

The companion solutions text is definately also worth considering if you are using this book as a tutorial.

All in all, one of the best books you will come across as a student of chemistry.

Definitely worth the money, 20 Aug 2005
If you are serious about learning organic chemistry then go direct to the source. Stuart Warren and his fellow authors have really done a good job with this undergraduate level text.

The book is clearly laid out in sections with good use of colour and diagrams.

There is a glut of books on organic chemistry on the market but not all are as clear and accessible as this one.

Do yourself a favour and get this book and the solutions manual to go with it.

Great for revision, 28 Oct 2008
Bought this book to revise analytical techniques (NMR, IR, Mass Spec) prior to an interview and found it invaluable. Its language is plain and simple. Many of the things I could not understand while studying Chemistry at degree level suddenly kicked into place after reading this book (particularly NMR). The chapter on stereochemistry was also very good.
For less than a tenner, you really can't go wrong. Excellent book and highly recommended.

A good revision tool, 25 Sep 2008
I graduated with a chemistry degree just over two years ago and found that my chemistry knowledge was failing me, which isn't great if your trying to impress a would-be employer. This book was excellent, written in a concise easy to follow way. I think I had an advantage in understanding where it's coming from though, and so was a brilliant revision tool. If I had known about this book over two years ago I would have definitely got it as a study aid along side my textbooks.

I agree with the above review too, it's not for A-level students and covers a lot of stuff you won't need to know or may confuse what you need to know for you a-level exams, stick to a-level revision guides. However if your just starting your degree and are having to do a course in organic chemistry and are worried that as the previous review states this book is flawed don't worry you soon find out about resonance theory (yay!) which corrects the flawed model (and is explained thoroughly in this book). And I would highly recommend having a read before starting your classes as having some previous knowledge will help you follow your lectures.




For A-level students, 21 Sep 2007
Do not buy this book it makes the assumption that the Kekule Structure of benzene is objective, however, in the A-level mark scheme it is expected for you to know that it is flawed and that the delocalised pi electron structure is the Definitive model.

Ought to be a recommended text for my OU course, 15 Feb 2006
I bought this as someone else on my Open University course suggested it.

Absolutely brilliant book. It is written from the perspective that one has studied some chemistry, but that it is rusty. Best of all is the comment that organic chemistry is understandable, provided you don't start on the premise that you have no chance to understand it.

I would recommend this book for anyone struggling with organic chemistry.

Review Of Organic Chemistry For Dummies, 06 Jan 2006

excellent book ! definetly worth every penny! explains everything in an easy to understand format and with a humourous style. In my opinion would be both suitable for a person who is just beggining to study organic chemistry in detail -eg AS/A-level students-since it explains everything so well and also for those of us who are studying the subject at university level. I couldn't of got through my first semester organic chemistry module without this book!

Truly Organic!, 06 Jan 2008
I bought this book in January 2007 for my MChem course at a much higher price (£59.99) from a well known University bookshop. Although I paid way too much for it I have to say it's the best investment I ever made as I found it to be very useful throughout the duration of my Masters. The book starts off in a very basic to almost A Level standard manner. The reader does not have to have any prior understanding of organic chemistry as the book begins with a section on "What is organic chemistry" and then leads onto organic structures and how to determine structures using different spectroscopic instruments. In total there are 53 chapters which include: Organic reactions, Delocalisation and conjugation, Acidity, Basicity and pKa, Equilibria, Stereochemistry, Retrosynthetic analysis, Fragmentation, Radical reactions, Asymmetric synthesis, Organometallic chemistry and Polymerization. This book helped me score 89% on my Masters. I'm now in my 1st year of my Chemistry PhD and I'm still referring to it! I would recommend every organic chemist (whether undergrad, postgrad or even postdoc) to own a copy of this book. It's a truly organic gem!!!

Best Organic Chem Book there is!, 30 Jul 2007

I bought this book for my undergraduate days, I dont know any better organic book as it has everything in right from the begining to more advanced concepts. Organic Chemistry is also well written and well illustrated as well.

If you go into organic chemistry or pharaceuticals, dont sell this book as it is all you will ever need!

Incredible book!, 01 Jul 2007
I am a high school student who made use of this book (and others) while preparing for my interview at the university of Oxford.

This book has thoroughly enhanced my understanding in the (broad!) field of organic chemistry.
The visual aspect of the book is outstanding. All reactions are coloured so as to emphasize on certain bonds and atoms in the molecules. There are continuous suggestions for students to compare certain reactions with others previously studied.
The content spans over 50 chapters. Unlike older texts where the division is made according to functional groups: (Chapter 1: alkanes, chapter 2: alkenes .....) this book instead classifies each chapter according to reaction types (nucleophilic, electrophilic substitution; nucleophilic, electrophilic addition; elimination E1, elimination E2 etc).

The text never digresses badly, and it always keeps in mind that it is a (high-school, college etc.) student reading.

I recommend this textbook to anyone interested in the field of organic chemistry.

The best undergraduate organic chemistry book ever written, 28 Aug 2006
This book manages to present the fundamentals of organic chemistry in such an engaging and clear manner that it is an absolute joy to use.

The questions reinforce the material wonderfully and provide a steady learning curve, first building confidence and then stretching the student.

The companion solutions text is definately also worth considering if you are using this book as a tutorial.

All in all, one of the best books you will come across as a student of chemistry.

Definitely worth the money, 20 Aug 2005
If you are serious about learning organic chemistry then go direct to the source. Stuart Warren and his fellow authors have really done a good job with this undergraduate level text.

The book is clearly laid out in sections with good use of colour and diagrams.

There is a glut of books on organic chemistry on the market but not all are as clear and accessible as this one.

Do yourself a favour and get this book and the solutions manual to go with it.

Great for revision, 28 Oct 2008
Bought this book to revise analytical techniques (NMR, IR, Mass Spec) prior to an interview and found it invaluable. Its language is plain and simple. Many of the things I could not understand while studying Chemistry at degree level suddenly kicked into place after reading this book (particularly NMR). The chapter on stereochemistry was also very good.
For less than a tenner, you really can't go wrong. Excellent book and highly recommended.

A good revision tool, 25 Sep 2008
I graduated with a chemistry degree just over two years ago and found that my chemistry knowledge was failing me, which isn't great if your trying to impress a would-be employer. This book was excellent, written in a concise easy to follow way. I think I had an advantage in understanding where it's coming from though, and so was a brilliant revision tool. If I had known about this book over two years ago I would have definitely got it as a study aid along side my textbooks.

I agree with the above review too, it's not for A-level students and covers a lot of stuff you won't need to know or may confuse what you need to know for you a-level exams, stick to a-level revision guides. However if your just starting your degree and are having to do a course in organic chemistry and are worried that as the previous review states this book is flawed don't worry you soon find out about resonance theory (yay!) which corrects the flawed model (and is explained thoroughly in this book). And I would highly recommend having a read before starting your classes as having some previous knowledge will help you follow your lectures.




For A-level students, 21 Sep 2007
Do not buy this book it makes the assumption that the Kekule Structure of benzene is objective, however, in the A-level mark scheme it is expected for you to know that it is flawed and that the delocalised pi electron structure is the Definitive model.

Ought to be a recommended text for my OU course, 15 Feb 2006
I bought this as someone else on my Open University course suggested it.

Absolutely brilliant book. It is written from the perspective that one has studied some chemistry, but that it is rusty. Best of all is the comment that organic chemistry is understandable, provided you don't start on the premise that you have no chance to understand it.

I would recommend this book for anyone struggling with organic chemistry.

Review Of Organic Chemistry For Dummies, 06 Jan 2006

excellent book ! definetly worth every penny! explains everything in an easy to understand format and with a humourous style. In my opinion would be both suitable for a person who is just beggining to study organic chemistry in detail -eg AS/A-level students-since it explains everything so well and also for those of us who are studying the subject at university level. I couldn't of got through my first semester organic chemistry module without this book!

Excellent, 12 Nov 2003
I use this book for my AS Level chemistry. It is not suitable for use on it's own but is an excellent supplement to a textbook. It has all the information you need, but not in as much detail as a main textbook.

Easy to understand, 01 Sep 2002
This is the best AQA revision book available. The rest of the books in the series are also worth buying. They contain a large amount of content but are small enough to read through for last minute revision. They helped me to get a grade A in my chemistry AS. I would definitely recommend these books to anyone studying the AQA syllabus.

An excellent guide-book for this module, 16 Mar 2002
The book covers the bare essentials for this chemistry module. Although it does not go into substantial detail, it is excellent as a quick reference and is also very useful for "last-minute" cramming

Small, concise and friendly looking but with plenty detail., 07 Mar 2002
The book is perfect for revision. I found it really great that it was specific only to my sylabus because it meant there were no extra pages to wade through. Although i am aware some books tell you which parts you need to look at for each specification i prefered a book catering for only one examining board because it kept content down to a minimum making it look less threatening and much more approachable! The modular format also really helped with this, i'd suggest you get the whole set! The content is easy to understand and in easily enough detail. The books do contain colour and highlighted text but not many different colours (generally just black, one bright colour and shades of gray) which i liked beaucse i find some revision books overwhelming and confusing due to them overdoing it on the colour! All in all, a very helpful revision aid.

Want to pass this exam? Buy this book!, 25 Feb 2002
It's official - whoever had the idea for this series of Collins revision guides is a genius. Why? Well, read on......
These guides are written specifically for the AQA Chemistry syllabus. Many revision guides are written for the general subject of Chemistry - however, there are differences between the different exam boards, and so using a syllabus specific revision guide ensures you are learning all of the material you need to know - and are not wasting time learning things not on your syllabus.
Plus, these provide clearly worked examples of the sorts of questions you get asked not only in exams, but also for your homework - which comes in useful! There is also a mock paper - taken form the AQA resource pack - and a detailed answer scheme, so you can really test your knowledge.
If that isn't enough to convince you that you should buy this immediately, this guide is also written really clearly, using bullet points, tables and margin notes to ensure you understand every topic fully, and each section is clearly referenced to the syllabus, so you can make revision notes really easily and quickly.
Still not convinced? Well - my chemistry teacher was so impressed with it, he's planning to buy a complete set for his class next year!
If you really want to do well in Chemistry......my advice? Buy this now!

Truly Organic!, 06 Jan 2008
I bought this book in January 2007 for my MChem course at a much higher price (£59.99) from a well known University bookshop. Although I paid way too much for it I have to say it's the best investment I ever made as I found it to be very useful throughout the duration of my Masters. The book starts off in a very basic to almost A Level standard manner. The reader does not have to have any prior understanding of organic chemistry as the book begins with a section on "What is organic chemistry" and then leads onto organic structures and how to determine structures using different spectroscopic instruments. In total there are 53 chapters which include: Organic reactions, Delocalisation and conjugation, Acidity, Basicity and pKa, Equilibria, Stereochemistry, Retrosynthetic analysis, Fragmentation, Radical reactions, Asymmetric synthesis, Organometallic chemistry and Polymerization. This book helped me score 89% on my Masters. I'm now in my 1st year of my Chemistry PhD and I'm still referring to it! I would recommend every organic chemist (whether undergrad, postgrad or even postdoc) to own a copy of this book. It's a truly organic gem!!!

Best Organic Chem Book there is!, 30 Jul 2007

I bought this book for my undergraduate days, I dont know any better organic book as it has everything in right from the begining to more advanced concepts. Organic Chemistry is also well written and well illustrated as well.

If you go into organic chemistry or pharaceuticals, dont sell this book as it is all you will ever need!

Incredible book!, 01 Jul 2007
I am a high school student who made use of this book (and others) while preparing for my interview at the university of Oxford.

This book has thoroughly enhanced my understanding in the (broad!) field of organic chemistry.
The visual aspect of the book is outstanding. All reactions are coloured so as to emphasize on certain bonds and atoms in the molecules. There are continuous suggestions for students to compare certain reactions with others previously studied.
The content spans over 50 chapters. Unlike older texts where the division is made according to functional groups: (Chapter 1: alkanes, chapter 2: alkenes .....) this book instead classifies each chapter according to reaction types (nucleophilic, electrophilic substitution; nucleophilic, electrophilic addition; elimination E1, elimination E2 etc).

The text never digresses badly, and it always keeps in mind that it is a (high-school, college etc.) student reading.

I recommend this textbook to anyone interested in the field of organic chemistry.

The best undergraduate organic chemistry book ever written, 28 Aug 2006
This book manages to present the fundamentals of organic chemistry in such an engaging and clear manner that it is an absolute joy to use.

The questions reinforce the material wonderfully and provide a steady learning curve, first building confidence and then stretching the student.

The companion solutions text is definately also worth considering if you are using this book as a tutorial.

All in all, one of the best books you will come across as a student of chemistry.

Definitely worth the money, 20 Aug 2005
If you are serious about learning organic chemistry then go direct to the source. Stuart Warren and his fellow authors have really done a good job with this undergraduate level text.

The book is clearly laid out in sections with good use of colour and diagrams.

There is a glut of books on organic chemistry on the market but not all are as clear and accessible as this one.

Do yourself a favour and get this book and the solutions manual to go with it.

Great for revision, 28 Oct 2008
Bought this book to revise analytical techniques (NMR, IR, Mass Spec) prior to an interview and found it invaluable. Its language is plain and simple. Many of the things I could not understand while studying Chemistry at degree level suddenly kicked into place after reading this book (particularly NMR). The chapter on stereochemistry was also very good.
For less than a tenner, you really can't go wrong. Excellent book and highly recommended.

A good revision tool, 25 Sep 2008
I graduated with a chemistry degree just over two years ago and found that my chemistry knowledge was failing me, which isn't great if your trying to impress a would-be employer. This book was excellent, written in a concise easy to follow way. I think I had an advantage in understanding where it's coming from though, and so was a brilliant revision tool. If I had known about this book over two years ago I would have definitely got it as a study aid along side my textbooks.

I agree with the above review too, it's not for A-level students and covers a lot of stuff you won't need to know or may confuse what you need to know for you a-level exams, stick to a-level revision guides. However if your just starting your degree and are having to do a course in organic chemistry and are worried that as the previous review states this book is flawed don't worry you soon find out about resonance theory (yay!) which corrects the flawed model (and is explained thoroughly in this book). And I would highly recommend having a read before starting your classes as having some previous knowledge will help you follow your lectures.




For A-level students, 21 Sep 2007
Do not buy this book it makes the assumption that the Kekule Structure of benzene is objective, however, in the A-level mark scheme it is expected for you to know that it is flawed and that the delocalised pi electron structure is the Definitive model.

Ought to be a recommended text for my OU course, 15 Feb 2006
I bought this as someone else on my Open University course suggested it.

Absolutely brilliant book. It is written from the perspective that one has studied some chemistry, but that it is rusty. Best of all is the comment that organic chemistry is understandable, provided you don't start on the premise that you have no chance to understand it.

I would recommend this book for anyone struggling with organic chemistry.

Review Of Organic Chemistry For Dummies, 06 Jan 2006

excellent book ! definetly worth every penny! explains everything in an easy to understand format and with a humourous style. In my opinion would be both suitable for a person who is just beggining to study organic chemistry in detail -eg AS/A-level students-since it explains everything so well and also for those of us who are studying the subject at university level. I couldn't of got through my first semester organic chemistry module without this book!

Excellent, 12 Nov 2003
I use this book for my AS Level chemistry. It is not suitable for use on it's own but is an excellent supplement to a textbook. It has all the information you need, but not in as much detail as a main textbook.

Easy to understand, 01 Sep 2002
This is the best AQA revision book available. The rest of the books in the series are also worth buying. They contain a large amount of content but are small enough to read through for last minute revision. They helped me to get a grade A in my chemistry AS. I would definitely recommend these books to anyone studying the AQA syllabus.

An excellent guide-book for this module, 16 Mar 2002
The book covers the bare essentials for this chemistry module. Although it does not go into substantial detail, it is excellent as a quick reference and is also very useful for "last-minute" cramming

Small, concise and friendly looking but with plenty detail., 07 Mar 2002
The book is perfect for revision. I found it really great that it was specific only to my sylabus because it meant there were no extra pages to wade through. Although i am aware some books tell you which parts you need to look at for each specification i prefered a book catering for only one examining board because it kept content down to a minimum making it look less threatening and much more approachable! The modular format also really helped with this, i'd suggest you get the whole set! The content is easy to understand and in easily enough detail. The books do contain colour and highlighted text but not many different colours (generally just black, one bright colour and shades of gray) which i liked beaucse i find some revision books overwhelming and confusing due to them overdoing it on the colour! All in all, a very helpful revision aid.

Want to pass this exam? Buy this book!, 25 Feb 2002
It's official - whoever had the idea for this series of Collins revision guides is a genius. Why? Well, read on......
These guides are written specifically for the AQA Chemistry syllabus. Many revision guides are written for the general subject of Chemistry - however, there are differences between the different exam boards, and so using a syllabus specific revision guide ensures you are learning all of the material you need to know - and are not wasting time learning things not on your syllabus.
Plus, these provide clearly worked examples of the sorts of questions you get asked not only in exams, but also for your homework - which comes in useful! There is also a mock paper - taken form the AQA resource pack - and a detailed answer scheme, so you can really test your knowledge.
If that isn't enough to convince you that you should buy this immediately, this guide is also written really clearly, using bullet points, tables and margin notes to ensure you understand every topic fully, and each section is clearly referenced to the syllabus, so you can make revision notes really easily and quickly.
Still not convinced? Well - my chemistry teacher was so impressed with it, he's planning to buy a complete set for his class next year!
If you really want to do well in Chemistry......my advice? Buy this now!

Bible of chemistry, 06 Nov 2007
Fantastic book, if you are doing coures such as chemistry, pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. it covers everything

Best book ever, 24 Oct 2006
This book is fantastic for chemistry university undergrads. Fantastic book easy to follow and develops basic concept into more complicated ideas. Everythings in colour and has lovely pictures made by the latests graphics so that you can see the 3D structure of atoms and other stuff really easily. This book is recommended by university lecturers at manchester uni (we get a free copy yipee!)- it is one of the core texts. This book is a must have - to ease transition from A-level to degree and beyond into furthur chemistry. Also has worked answers and questions for you to try. Such a good book in every way. It makes chemistry so fun and intersting with all the really good graphics and pictures.
GET THIS BOOK - IT IS A CHEMISTRY UNDERGRAD MUST HAVE

Truly Organic!, 06 Jan 2008
I bought this book in January 2007 for my MChem course at a much higher price (£59.99) from a well known University bookshop. Although I paid way too much for it I have to say it's the best investment I ever made as I found it to be very useful throughout the duration of my Masters. The book starts off in a very basic to almost A Level standard manner. The reader does not have to have any prior understanding of organic chemistry as the book begins with a section on "What is organic chemistry" and then leads onto organic structures and how to determine structures using different spectroscopic instruments. In total there are 53 chapters which include: Organic reactions, Delocalisation and conjugation, Acidity, Basicity and pKa, Equilibria, Stereochemistry, Retrosynthetic analysis, Fragmentation, Radical reactions, Asymmetric synthesis, Organometallic chemistry and Polymerization. This book helped me score 89% on my Masters. I'm now in my 1st year of my Chemistry PhD and I'm still referring to it! I would recommend every organic chemist (whether undergrad, postgrad or even postdoc) to own a copy of this book. It's a truly organic gem!!!

Best Organic Chem Book there is!, 30 Jul 2007

I bought this book for my undergraduate days, I dont know any better organic book as it has everything in right from the begining to more advanced concepts. Organic Chemistry is also well written and well illustrated as well.

If you go into organic chemistry or pharaceuticals, dont sell this book as it is all you will ever need!

Incredible book!, 01 Jul 2007
I am a high school student who made use of this book (and others) while preparing for my interview at the university of Oxford.

This book has thoroughly enhanced my understanding in the (broad!) field of organic chemistry.
The visual aspect of the book is outstanding. All reactions are coloured so as to emphasize on certain bonds and atoms in the molecules. There are continuous suggestions for students to compare certain reactions with others previously studied.
The content spans over 50 chapters. Unlike older texts where the division is made according to functional groups: (Chapter 1: alkanes, chapter 2: alkenes .....) this book instead classifies each chapter according to reaction types (nucleophilic, electrophilic substitution; nucleophilic, electrophilic addition; elimination E1, elimination E2 etc).

The text never digresses badly, and it always keeps in mind that it is a (high-school, college etc.) student reading.

I recommend this textbook to anyone interested in the field of organic chemistry.

The best undergraduate organic chemistry book ever written, 28 Aug 2006
This book manages to present the fundamentals of organic chemistry in such an engaging and clear manner that it is an absolute joy to use.

The questions reinforce the material wonderfully and provide a steady learning curve, first building confidence and then stretching the student.

The companion solutions text is definately also worth considering if you are using this book as a tutorial.

All in all, one of the best books you will come across as a student of chemistry.

Definitely worth the money, 20 Aug 2005
If you are serious about learning organic chemistry then go direct to the source. Stuart Warren and his fellow authors have really done a good job with this undergraduate level text.

The book is clearly laid out in sections with good use of colour and diagrams.

There is a glut of books on organic chemistry on the market but not all are as clear and accessible as this one.

Do yourself a favour and get this book and the solutions manual to go with it.

Great for revision, 28 Oct 2008
Bought this book to revise analytical techniques (NMR, IR, Mass Spec) prior to an interview and found it invaluable. Its language is plain and simple. Many of the things I could not understand while studying Chemistry at degree level suddenly kicked into place after reading this book (particularly NMR). The chapter on stereochemistry was also very good.
For less than a tenner, you really can't go wrong. Excellent book and highly recommended.

A good revision tool, 25 Sep 2008
I graduated with a chemistry degree just over two years ago and found that my chemistry knowledge was failing me, which isn't great if your trying to impress a would-be employer. This book was excellent, written in a concise easy to follow way. I think I had an advantage in understanding where it's coming from though, and so was a brilliant revision tool. If I had known about this book over two years ago I would have definitely got it as a study aid along side my textbooks.

I agree with the above review too, it's not for A-level students and covers a lot of stuff you won't need to know or may confuse what you need to know for you a-level exams, stick to a-level revision guides. However if your just starting your degree and are having to do a course in organic chemistry and are worried that as the previous review states this book is flawed don't worry you soon find out about resonance theory (yay!) which corrects the flawed model (and is explained thoroughly in this book). And I would highly recommend having a read before starting your classes as having some previous knowledge will help you follow your lectures.




For A-level students, 21 Sep 2007
Do not buy this book it makes the assumption that the Kekule Structure of benzene is objective, however, in the A-level mark scheme it is expected for you to know that it is flawed and that the delocalised pi electron structure is the Definitive model.

Ought to be a recommended text for my OU course, 15 Feb 2006
I bought this as someone else on my Open University course suggested it.

Absolutely brilliant book. It is written from the perspective that one has studied some chemistry, but that it is rusty. Best of all is the comment that organic chemistry is understandable, provided you don't start on the premise that you have no chance to understand it.

I would recommend this book for anyone struggling with organic chemistry.

Review Of Organic Chemistry For Dummies, 06 Jan 2006

excellent book ! definetly worth every penny! explains everything in an easy to understand format and with a humourous style. In my opinion would be both suitable for a person who is just beggining to study organic chemistry in detail -eg AS/A-level students-since it explains everything so well and also for those of us who are studying the subject at university level. I couldn't of got through my first semester organic chemistry module without this book!

Excellent, 12 Nov 2003
I use this book for my AS Level chemistry. It is not suitable for use on it's own but is an excellent supplement to a textbook. It has all the information you need, but not in as much detail as a main textbook.

Easy to understand, 01 Sep 2002
This is the best AQA revision book available. The rest of the books in the series are also worth buying. They contain a large amount of content but are small enough to read through for last minute revision. They helped me to get a grade A in my chemistry AS. I would definitely recommend these books to anyone studying the AQA syllabus.

An excellent guide-book for this module, 16 Mar 2002
The book covers the bare essentials for this chemistry module. Although it does not go into substantial detail, it is excellent as a quick reference and is also very useful for "last-minute" cramming

Small, concise and friendly looking but with plenty detail., 07 Mar 2002
The book is perfect for revision. I found it really great that it was specific only to my sylabus because it meant there were no extra pages to wade through. Although i am aware some books tell you which parts you need to look at for each specification i prefered a book catering for only one examining board because it kept content down to a minimum making it look less threatening and much more approachable! The modular format also really helped with this, i'd suggest you get the whole set! The content is easy to understand and in easily enough detail. The books do contain colour and highlighted text but not many different colours (generally just black, one bright colour and shades of gray) which i liked beaucse i find some revision books overwhelming and confusing due to them overdoing it on the colour! All in all, a very helpful revision aid.

Want to pass this exam? Buy this book!, 25 Feb 2002
It's official - whoever had the idea for this series of Collins revision guides is a genius. Why? Well, read on......
These guides are written specifically for the AQA Chemistry syllabus. Many revision guides are written for the general subject of Chemistry - however, there are differences between the different exam boards, and so using a syllabus specific revision guide ensures you are learning all of the material you need to know - and are not wasting time learning things not on your syllabus.
Plus, these provide clearly worked examples of the sorts of questions you get asked not only in exams, but also for your homework - which comes in useful! There is also a mock paper - taken form the AQA resource pack - and a detailed answer scheme, so you can really test your knowledge.
If that isn't enough to convince you that you should buy this immediately, this guide is also written really clearly, using bullet points, tables and margin notes to ensure you understand every topic fully, and each section is clearly referenced to the syllabus, so you can make revision notes really easily and quickly.
Still not convinced? Well - my chemistry teacher was so impressed with it, he's planning to buy a complete set for his class next year!
If you really want to do well in Chemistry......my advice? Buy this now!

Bible of chemistry, 06 Nov 2007
Fantastic book, if you are doing coures such as chemistry, pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. it covers everything

Best book ever, 24 Oct 2006
This book is fantastic for chemistry university undergrads. Fantastic book easy to follow and develops basic concept into more complicated ideas. Everythings in colour and has lovely pictures made by the latests graphics so that you can see the 3D structure of atoms and other stuff really easily. This book is recommended by university lecturers at manchester uni (we get a free copy yipee!)- it is one of the core texts. This book is a must have - to ease transition from A-level to degree and beyond into furthur chemistry. Also has worked answers and questions for you to try. Such a good book in every way. It makes chemistry so fun and intersting with all the really good graphics and pictures.
GET THIS BOOK - IT IS A CHEMISTRY UNDERGRAD MUST HAVE

An excellent breif overview, 03 Feb 2006
A very good introduction into a field of interest to many different disciplines. Its appeal to such a variety of scientific backgrounds means that it lacks specific detail to some. Its ability to spark the imagination and unifty concepts is powerful. The third edition (2005) offers a breif but essential summery of relevant key concepts within my own background, theoretical and computational chemistry, despite some matieral quickly being outdated. The rest of the book offered an intriguing insight into the minds of collegues within the drug development industry. Suitible to undergraduates, this text is an invaluble introduction to broad range of exciting fields.

Average, 13 Jun 2005
This book is generally ok - topics are sufficiently well explained with some good examples. Probably quite good value for money and you probably wouldn't be disappointed with it. For a little more money though you can get a real classic in this field - "The Organic Chemsitry of Drug Design and Drug Action" by Silverman which contains a wealth of information about drug interaction and is so readable and very clear to understand. If you want to just get buy on a budget then buy this - if you really want to know your stuff for a little extra then go for Silverman's book.

An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry (2nd Edition), 14 Nov 2003
It's a good textbook for a chemistry student who needs to know a little bit of every branches of his studies, but the level is not enough high if you want to understand the biochemical processes completely.

Great book for those studying medicinal chemistry!, 01 Jan 2003
For the topics the book covers - it certainly does well! It is easy to follow and understand. The diagrams are clear and helpful - espcially in the opiates chapter. It is generally a useful resource in furthering your understanding of this subject!

However, if I should have one critisism - it certainly doesn't and wouldn't be able to cover everything.. Noticeably it lacks information on certain receptor groups. It also doesn't cover in depth possible chemistry mechanisms, which I believe enhances understanding.

Overall though this is a useful book!

Truly Organic!, 06 Jan 2008
I bought this book in January 2007 for my MChem course at a much higher price (£59.99) from a well known University bookshop. Although I paid way too much for it I have to say it's the best investment I ever made as I found it to be very useful throughout the duration of my Masters. The book starts off in a very basic to almost A Level standard manner. The reader does not have to have any prior understanding of organic chemistry as the book begins with a section on "What is organic chemistry" and then leads onto organic structures and how to determine structures using different spectroscopic instruments. In total there are 53 chapters which include: Organic reactions, Delocalisation and conjugation, Acidity, Basicity and pKa, Equilibria, Stereochemistry, Retrosynthetic analysis, Fragmentation, Radical reactions, Asymmetric synthesis, Organometallic chemistry and Polymerization. This book helped me score 89% on my Masters. I'm now in my 1st year of my Chemistry PhD and I'm still referring to it! I would recommend every organic chemist (whether undergrad, postgrad or even postdoc) to own a copy of this book. It's a truly organic gem!!!

Best Organic Chem Book there is!, 30 Jul 2007

I bought this book for my undergraduate days, I dont know any better organic book as it has everything in right from the begining to more advanced concepts. Organic Chemistry is also well written and well illustrated as well.

If you go into organic chemistry or pharaceuticals, dont sell this book as it is all you will ever need!

Incredible book!, 01 Jul 2007
I am a high school student who made use of this book (and others) while preparing for my interview at the university of Oxford.

This book has thoroughly enhanced my understanding in the (broad!) field of organic chemistry.
The visual aspect of the book is outstanding. All reactions are coloured so as to emphasize on certain bonds and atoms in the molecules. There are continuous suggestions for students to compare certain reactions with others previously studied.
The content spans over 50 chapters. Unlike older texts where the division is made according to functional groups: (Chapter 1: alkanes, chapter 2: alkenes .....) this book instead classifies each chapter according to reaction types (nucleophilic, electrophilic substitution; nucleophilic, electrophilic addition; elimination E1, elimination E2 etc).

The text never digresses badly, and it always keeps in mind that it is a (high-school, college etc.) student reading.

I recommend this textbook to anyone interested in the field of organic chemistry.

The best undergraduate organic chemistry book ever written, 28 Aug 2006
This book manages to present the fundamentals of organic chemistry in such an engaging and clear manner that it is an absolute joy to use.

The questions reinforce the material wonderfully and provide a steady learning curve, first building confidence and then stretching the student.

The companion solutions text is definately also worth considering if you are using this book as a tutorial.

All in all, one of the best books you will come across as a student of chemistry.

Definitely worth the money, 20 Aug 2005
If you are serious about learning organic chemistry then go direct to the source. Stuart Warren and his fellow authors have really done a good job with this undergraduate level text.

The book is clearly laid out in sections with good use of colour and diagrams.

There is a glut of books on organic chemistry on the market but not all are as clear and accessible as this one.

Do yourself a favour and get this book and the solutions manual to go with it.

Great for revision, 28 Oct 2008
Bought this book to revise analytical techniques (NMR, IR, Mass Spec) prior to an interview and found it invaluable. Its language is plain and simple. Many of the things I could not understand while studying Chemistry at degree level suddenly kicked into place after reading this book (particularly NMR). The chapter on stereochemistry was also very good.
For less than a tenner, you really can't go wrong. Excellent book and highly recommended.

A good revision tool, 25 Sep 2008
I graduated with a chemistry degree just over two years ago and found that my chemistry knowledge was failing me, which isn't great if your trying to impress a would-be employer. This book was excellent, written in a concise easy to follow way. I think I had an advantage in understanding where it's coming from though, and so was a brilliant revision tool. If I had known about this book over two years ago I would have definitely got it as a study aid along side my textbooks.

I agree with the above review too, it's not for A-level students and covers a lot of stuff you won't need to know or may confuse what you need to know for you a-level exams, stick to a-level revision guides. However if your just starting your degree and are having to do a course in organic chemistry and are worried that as the previous review states this book is flawed don't worry you soon find out about resonance theory (yay!) which corrects the flawed model (and is explained thoroughly in this book). And I would highly recommend having a read before starting your classes as having some previous knowledge will help you follow your lectures.




For A-level students, 21 Sep 2007
Do not buy this book it makes the assumption that the Kekule Structure of benzene is objective, however, in the A-level mark scheme it is expected for you to know that it is flawed and that the delocalised pi electron structure is the Definitive model.

Ought to be a recommended text for my OU course, 15 Feb 2006
I bought this as someone else on my Open University course suggested it.

Absolutely brilliant book. It is written from the perspective that one has studied some chemistry, but that it is rusty. Best of all is the comment that organic chemistry is understandable, provided you don't start on the premise that you have no chance to understand it.

I would recommend this book for anyone struggling with organic chemistry.

Review Of Organic Chemistry For Dummies, 06 Jan 2006

excellent book ! definetly worth every penny! explains everything in an easy to understand format and with a humourous style. In my opinion would be both suitable for a person who is just beggining to study organic chemistry in detail -eg AS/A-level students-since it explains everything so well and also for those of us who are studying the subject at university level. I couldn't of got through my first semester organic chemistry module without this book!

Excellent, 12 Nov 2003
I use this book for my AS Level chemistry. It is not suitable for use on it's own but is an excellent supplement to a textbook. It has all the information you need, but not in as much detail as a main textbook.

Easy to understand, 01 Sep 2002
This is the best AQA revision book available. The rest of the books in the series are also worth buying. They contain a large amount of content but are small enough to read through for last minute revision. They helped me to get a grade A in my chemistry AS. I would definitely recommend these books to anyone studying the AQA syllabus.

An excellent guide-book for this module, 16 Mar 2002
The book covers the bare essentials for this chemistry module. Although it does not go into substantial detail, it is excellent as a quick reference and is also very useful for "last-minute" cramming

Small, concise and friendly looking but with plenty detail., 07 Mar 2002
The book is perfect for revision. I found it really great that it was specific only to my sylabus because it meant there were no extra pages to wade through. Although i am aware some books tell you which parts you need to look at for each specification i prefered a book catering for only one examining board because it kept content down to a minimum making it look less threatening and much more approachable! The modular format also really helped with this, i'd suggest you get the whole set! The content is easy to understand and in easily enough detail. The books do contain colour and highlighted text but not many different colours (generally just black, one bright colour and shades of gray) which i liked beaucse i find some revision books overwhelming and confusing due to them overdoing it on the colour! All in all, a very helpful revision aid.

Want to pass this exam? Buy this book!, 25 Feb 2002
It's official - whoever had the idea for this series of Collins revision guides is a genius. Why? Well, read on......
These guides are written specifically for the AQA Chemistry syllabus. Many revision guides are written for the general subject of Chemistry - however, there are differences between the different exam boards, and so using a syllabus specific revision guide ensures you are learning all of the material you need to know - and are not wasting time learning things not on your syllabus.
Plus, these provide clearly worked examples of the sorts of questions you get asked not only in exams, but also for your homework - which comes in useful! There is also a mock paper - taken form the AQA resource pack - and a detailed answer scheme, so you can really test your knowledge.
If that isn't enough to convince you that you should buy this immediately, this guide is also written really clearly, using bullet points, tables and margin notes to ensure you understand every topic fully, and each section is clearly referenced to the syllabus, so you can make revision notes really easily and quickly.
Still not convinced? Well - my chemistry teacher was so impressed with it, he's planning to buy a complete set for his class next year!
If you really want to do well in Chemistry......my advice? Buy this now!

Bible of chemistry, 06 Nov 2007
Fantastic book, if you are doing coures such as chemistry, pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. it covers everything

Best book ever, 24 Oct 2006
This book is fantastic for chemistry university undergrads. Fantastic book easy to follow and develops basic concept into more complicated ideas. Everythings in colour and has lovely pictures made by the latests graphics so that you can see the 3D structure of atoms and other stuff really easily. This book is recommended by university lecturers at manchester uni (we get a free copy yipee!)- it is one of the core texts. This book is a must have - to ease transition from A-level to degree and beyond into furthur chemistry. Also has worked answers and questions for you to try. Such a good book in every way. It makes chemistry so fun and intersting with all the really good graphics and pictures.
GET THIS BOOK - IT IS A CHEMISTRY UNDERGRAD MUST HAVE

An excellent breif overview, 03 Feb 2006
A very good introduction into a field of interest to many different disciplines. Its appeal to such a variety of scientific backgrounds means that it lacks specific detail to some. Its ability to spark the imagination and unifty concepts is powerful. The third edition (2005) offers a breif but essential summery of relevant key concepts within my own background, theoretical and computational chemistry, despite some matieral quickly being outdated. The rest of the book offered an intriguing insight into the minds of collegues within the drug development industry. Suitible to undergraduates, this text is an invaluble introduction to broad range of exciting fields.

Average, 13 Jun 2005
This book is generally ok - topics are sufficiently well explained with some good examples. Probably quite good value for money and you probably wouldn't be disappointed with it. For a little more money though you can get a real classic in this field - "The Organic Chemsitry of Drug Design and Drug Action" by Silverman which contains a wealth of information about drug interaction and is so readable and very clear to understand. If you want to just get buy on a budget then buy this - if you really want to know your stuff for a little extra then go for Silverman's book.

An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry (2nd Edition), 14 Nov 2003
It's a good textbook for a chemistry student who needs to know a little bit of every branches of his studies, but the level is not enough high if you want to understand the biochemical processes completely.

Great book for those studying medicinal chemistry!, 01 Jan 2003
For the topics the book covers - it certainly does well! It is easy to follow and understand. The diagrams are clear and helpful - espcially in the opiates chapter. It is generally a useful resource in furthering your understanding of this subject!

However, if I should have one critisism - it certainly doesn't and wouldn't be able to cover everything.. Noticeably it lacks information on certain receptor groups. It also doesn't cover in depth possible chemistry mechanisms, which I believe enhances understanding.

Overall though this is a useful book!

why you should buy this book, 23 May 2003
This book is salvation for us poor chemists who spend hours looking in four thick chemistry text books for one snippet of information. It provides a good overview of all the topics and manages to link them all in a coherent manner. It is very well laid out and easy to use, and is cheaper than the average textbook.

Overall, despite the black and white illustrations, this book is anything but overbearing and would make an excellent introduction for any chemist or potential chemist.

A 'must read' for first year undergrads, 23 Apr 2003
This book gives an excellent explanation of the basic ideas in chemistry. It is different from most other chemistry books in that it brings together ideas from what are usually considered different areas of chemistry to give a reader friendly (thermodynamics without the maths!) explanation of, well, why chemical reactions happen. The topics covered by the authors are clearly presented with loads of diagrams and everyday examples to support the text. Emphasis is placed on understanding why things happen rather than the learning of 'rules'.

The book is aimed at first year undergraduates/those who are about to begin studying chemistry at university (and I would definitely recommend it as pre-university reading) however, I think it would also be of interest to a wider audience - even though I'm a chemistry graduate I found reading the book useful because it explained the basics more clearly than any other textbook I've read.

The basis for chemistry explained..., 13 Apr 2003
This book provides an excellent basis for the study of chemistry and is ideal for for those about to begin the first year of a chemistry degree. It brings together concepts from different areas of chemistry, ranging from thermodynamics to organic chemistry, to provide a comprehensive explanation of, well, why reactions happen.

I found the topics covered by the authors to be clearly presented and in a logical order, with excellent use of diagrams and examples to support the ideas discussed in the text. Emphasis is firmly placed on understanding why things happen rather than the learning of 'rules'.

The authors suggest that this book would be suitable for those who have just completed A-level chemistry or are first year undergraduates, however, I believe it would be of interest to a wider audience both as a teaching resource and for graduates who want to refresh their understanding of the basics. I found the book easy to read and useful as it reminded me of how I should think about the chemistry with which I am already familiar.

Truly Organic!, 06 Jan 2008
I bought this book in January 2007 for my MChem course at a much higher price (£59.99) from a well known University bookshop. Although I paid way too much for it I have to say it's the best investment I ever made as I found it to be very useful throughout the duration of my Masters. The book starts off in a very basic to almost A Level standard manner. The reader does not have to have any prior understanding of organic chemistry as the book begins with a section on "What is organic chemistry" and then leads onto organic structures and how to determine structures using different spectroscopic instruments. In total there are 53 chapters which include: Organic reactions, Delocalisation and conjugation, Acidity, Basicity and pKa, Equilibria, Stereochemistry, Retrosynthetic analysis, Fragmentation, Radical reactions, Asymmetric synthesis, Organometallic chemistry and Polymerization. This book helped me score 89% on my Masters. I'm now in my 1st year of my Chemistry PhD and I'm still referring to it! I would recommend every organic chemist (whether undergrad, postgrad or even postdoc) to own a copy of this book. It's a truly organic gem!!!

Best Organic Chem Book there is!, 30 Jul 2007

I bought this book for my undergraduate days, I dont know any better organic book as it has everything in right from the begining to more advanced concepts. Organic Chemistry is also well written and well illustrated as well.

If you go into organic chemistry or pharaceuticals, dont sell this book as it is all you will ever need!

Incredible book!, 01 Jul 2007
I am a high school student who made use of this book (and others) while preparing for my interview at the university of Oxford.

This book has thoroughly enhanced my understanding in the (broad!) field of organic chemistry.
The visual aspect of the book is outstanding. All reactions are coloured so as to emphasize on certain bonds and atoms in the molecules. There are continuous suggestions for students to compare certain reactions with others previously studied.
The content spans over 50 chapters. Unlike older texts where the division is made according to functional groups: (Chapter 1: alkanes, chapter 2: alkenes .....) this book instead classifies each chapter according to reaction types (nucleophilic, electrophilic substitution; nucleophilic, electrophilic addition; elimination E1, elimination E2 etc).

The text never digresses badly, and it always keeps in mind that it is a (high-school, college etc.) student reading.

I recommend this textbook to anyone interested in the field of organic chemistry.

The best undergraduate organic chemistry book ever written, 28 Aug 2006
This book manages to present the fundamentals of organic chemistry in such an engaging and clear manner that it is an absolute joy to use.

The questions reinforce the material wonderfully and provide a steady learning curve, first building confidence and then stretching the student.

The companion solutions text is definately also worth considering if you are using this book as a tutorial.

All in all, one of the best books you will come across as a student of chemistry.

Definitely worth the money, 20 Aug 2005
If you are serious about learning organic chemistry then go direct to the source. Stuart Warren and his fellow authors have really done a good job with this undergraduate level text.

The book is clearly laid out in sections with good use of colour and diagrams.

There is a glut of books on organic chemistry on the market but not all are as clear and accessible as this one.

Do yourself a favour and get this book and the solutions manual to go with it.

Great for revision, 28 Oct 2008
Bought this book to revise analytical techniques (NMR, IR, Mass Spec) prior to an interview and found it invaluable. Its language is plain and simple. Many of the things I could not understand while studying Chemistry at degree level suddenly kicked into place after reading this book (particularly NMR). The chapter on stereochemistry was also very good.
For less than a tenner, you really can't go wrong. Excellent book and highly recommended.

A good revision tool, 25 Sep 2008
I graduated with a chemistry degree just over two years ago and found that my chemistry knowledge was failing me, which isn't great if your trying to impress a would-be employer. This book was excellent, written in a concise easy to follow way. I think I had an advantage in understanding where it's coming from though, and so was a brilliant revision tool. If I had known about this book over two years ago I would have definitely got it as a study aid along side my textbooks.

I agree with the above review too, it's not for A-level students and covers a lot of stuff you won't need to know or may confuse what you need to know for you a-level exams, stick to a-level revision guides. However if your just starting your degree and are having to do a course in organic chemistry and are worried that as the previous review states this book is flawed don't worry you soon find out about resonance theory (yay!) which corrects the flawed model (and is explained thoroughly in this book). And I would highly recommend having a read before starting your classes as having some previous knowledge will help you follow your lectures.




For A-level students, 21 Sep 2007
Do not buy this book it makes the assumption that the Kekule Structure of benzene is objective, however, in the A-level mark scheme it is expected for you to know that it is flawed and that the delocalised pi electron structure is the Definitive model.

Ought to be a recommended text for my OU course, 15 Feb 2006
I bought this as someone else on my Open University course suggested it.

Absolutely brilliant book. It is written from the perspective that one has studied some chemistry, but that it is rusty. Best of all is the comment that organic chemistry is understandable, provided you don't start on the premise that you have no chance to understand it.

I would recommend this book for anyone struggling with organic chemistry.

Review Of Organic Chemistry For Dummies, 06 Jan 2006

excellent book ! definetly worth every penny! explains everything in an easy to understand format and with a humourous style. In my opinion would be both suitable for a person who is just beggining to study organic chemistry in detail -eg AS/A-level students-since it explains everything so well and also for those of us who are studying the subject at university level. I couldn't of got through my first semester organic chemistry module without this book!

Excellent, 12 Nov 2003
I use this book for my AS Level chemistry. It is not suitable for use on it's own but is an excellent supplement to a textbook. It has all the information you need, but not in as much detail as a main textbook.

Easy to understand, 01 Sep 2002
This is the best AQA revision book available. The rest of the books in the series are also worth buying. They contain a large amount of content but are small enough to read through for last minute revision. They helped me to get a grade A in my chemistry AS. I would definitely recommend these books to anyone studying the AQA syllabus.

An excellent guide-book for this module, 16 Mar 2002
The book covers the bare essentials for this chemistry module. Although it does not go into substantial detail, it is excellent as a quick reference and is also very useful for "last-minute" cramming

Small, concise and friendly looking but with plenty detail., 07 Mar 2002
The book is perfect for revision. I found it really great that it was specific only to my sylabus because it meant there were no extra pages to wade through. Although i am aware some books tell you which parts you need to look at for each specification i prefered a book catering for only one examining board because it kept content down to a minimum making it look less threatening and much more approachable! The modular format also really helped with this, i'd suggest you get the whole set! The content is easy to understand and in easily enough detail. The books do contain colour and highlighted text but not many different colours (generally just black, one bright colour and shades of gray) which i liked beaucse i find some revision books overwhelming and confusing due to them overdoing it on the colour! All in all, a very helpful revision aid.

Want to pass this exam? Buy this book!, 25 Feb 2002
It's official - whoever had the idea for this series of Collins revision guides is a genius. Why? Well, read on......
These guides are written specifically for the AQA Chemistry syllabus. Many revision guides are written for the general subject of Chemistry - however, there are differences between the different exam boards, and so using a syllabus specific revision guide ensures you are learning all of the material you need to know - and are not wasting time learning things not on your syllabus.
Plus, these provide clearly worked examples of the sorts of questions you get asked not only in exams, but also for your homework - which comes in useful! There is also a mock paper - taken form the AQA resource pack - and a detailed answer scheme, so you can really test your knowledge.
If that isn't enough to convince you that you should buy this immediately, this guide is also written really clearly, using bullet points, tables and margin notes to ensure you understand every topic fully, and each section is clearly referenced to the syllabus, so you can make revision notes really easily and quickly.
Still not convinced? Well - my chemistry teacher was so impressed with it, he's planning to buy a complete set for his class next year!
If you really want to do well in Chemistry......my advice? Buy this now!

Bible of chemistry, 06 Nov 2007
Fantastic book, if you are doing coures such as chemistry, pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. it covers everything

Best book ever, 24 Oct 2006
This book is fantastic for chemistry university undergrads. Fantastic book easy to follow and develops basic concept into more complicated ideas. Everythings in colour and has lovely pictures made by the latests graphics so that you can see the 3D structure of atoms and other stuff really easily. This book is recommended by university lecturers at manchester uni (we get a free copy yipee!)- it is one of the core texts. This book is a must have - to ease transition from A-level to degree and beyond into furthur chemistry. Also has worked answers and questions for you to try. Such a good book in every way. It makes chemistry so fun and intersting with all the really good graphics and pictures.
GET THIS BOOK - IT IS A CHEMISTRY UNDERGRAD MUST HAVE

An excellent breif overview, 03 Feb 2006
A very good introduction into a field of interest to many different disciplines. Its appeal to such a variety of scientific backgrounds means that it lacks specific detail to some. Its ability to spark the imagination and unifty concepts is powerful. The third edition (2005) offers a breif but essential summery of relevant key concepts within my own background, theoretical and computational chemistry, despite some matieral quickly being outdated. The rest of the book offered an intriguing insight into the minds of collegues within the drug development industry. Suitible to undergraduates, this text is an invaluble introduction to broad range of exciting fields.

Average, 13 Jun 2005
This book is generally ok - topics are sufficiently well explained with some good examples. Probably quite good value for money and you probably wouldn't be disappointed with it. For a little more money though you can get a real classic in this field - "The Organic Chemsitry of Drug Design and Drug Action" by Silverman which contains a wealth of information about drug interaction and is so readable and very clear to understand. If you want to just get buy on a budget then buy this - if you really want to know your stuff for a little extra then go for Silverman's book.

An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry (2nd Edition), 14 Nov 2003
It's a good textbook for a chemistry student who needs to know a little bit of every branches of his studies, but the level is not enough high if you want to understand the biochemical processes completely.

Great book for those studying medicinal chemistry!, 01 Jan 2003
For the topics the book covers - it certainly does well! It is easy to follow and understand. The diagrams are clear and helpful - espcially in the opiates chapter. It is generally a useful resource in furthering your understanding of this subject!

However, if I should have one critisism - it certainly doesn't and wouldn't be able to cover everything.. Noticeably it lacks information on certain receptor groups. It also doesn't cover in depth possible chemistry mechanisms, which I believe enhances understanding.

Overall though this is a useful book!

why you should buy this book, 23 May 2003
This book is salvation for us poor chemists who spend hours looking in four thick chemistry text books for one snippet of information. It provides a good overview of all the topics and manages to link them all in a coherent manner. It is very well laid out and easy to use, and is cheaper than the average textbook.

Overall, despite the black and white illustrations, this book is anything but overbearing and would make an excellent introduction for any chemist or potential chemist.

A 'must read' for first year undergrads, 23 Apr 2003
This book gives an excellent explanation of the basic ideas in chemistry. It is different from most other chemistry books in that it brings together ideas from what are usually considered different areas of chemistry to give a reader friendly (thermodynamics without the maths!) explanation of, well, why chemical reactions happen. The topics covered by the authors are clearly presented with loads of diagrams and everyday examples to support the text. Emphasis is placed on understanding why things happen rather than the learning of 'rules'.

The book is aimed at first year undergraduates/those who are about to begin studying chemistry at university (and I would definitely recommend it as pre-university reading) however, I think it would also be of interest to a wider audience - even though I'm a chemistry graduate I found reading the book useful because it explained the basics more clearly than any other textbook I've read.

The basis for chemistry explained..., 13 Apr 2003
This book provides an excellent basis for the study of chemistry and is ideal for for those about to begin the first year of a chemistry degree. It brings together concepts from different areas of chemistry, ranging from thermodynamics to organic chemistry, to provide a comprehensive explanation of, well, why reactions happen.

I found the topics covered by the authors to be clearly presented and in a logical order, with excellent use of diagrams and examples to support the ideas discussed in the text. Emphasis is firmly placed on understanding why things happen rather than the learning of 'rules'.

The authors suggest that this book would be suitable for those who have just completed A-level chemistry or are first year undergraduates, however, I believe it would be of interest to a wider audience both as a teaching resource and for graduates who want to refresh their understanding of the basics. I found the book easy to read and useful as it reminded me of how I should think about the chemistry with which I am already familiar.

Extremely well crafted book, 24 Nov 2008
If you are studying organic chemistry, you must buy this book. It is an extremely well crafted one. Excercises within this book are challenging, but yet they are not discouraging for the beginner, and solutions are extremely clear and informative, rather than patronising. By using this book you will be able to assess your level of understanding of organic chemistry, espcecially if you are using the textbook Organic Chemistry by the same authors.


Organic solutions, 26 Jun 2002
I would recommend it to those who are finding organic chemistry difficult so the underlying themes of the subject can be more clearly understood.
It does this by providing model answers to the end of chapter assignments in the core text in a clear and coincise manner with plenty of explanation.

Truly Organic!, 06 Jan 2008
I bought this book in January 2007 for my MChem course at a much higher price (£59.99) from a well known University bookshop. Although I paid way too much for it I have to say it's the best investment I ever made as I found it to be very useful throughout the duration of my Masters. The book starts off in a very basic to almost A Level standard manner. The reader does not have to have any prior understanding of organic chemistry as the book begins with a section on "What is organic chemistry" and then leads onto organic structures and how to determine structures using different spectroscopic instruments. In total there are 53 chapters which include: Organic reactions, Delocalisation and conjugation, Acidity, Basicity and pKa, Equilibria, Stereochemistry, Retrosynthetic analysis, Fragmentation, Radical reactions, Asymmetric synthesis, Organometallic chemistry and Polymerization. This book helped me score 89% on my Masters. I'm now in my 1st year of my Chemistry PhD and I'm still referring to it! I would recommend every organic chemist (whether undergrad, postgrad or even postdoc) to own a copy of this book. It's a truly organic gem!!!

Best Organic Chem Book there is!, 30 Jul 2007

I bought this book for my undergraduate days, I dont know any better organic book as it has everything in right from the begining to more advanced concepts. Organic Chemistry is also well written and well illustrated as well.

If you go into organic chemistry or pharaceuticals, dont sell this book as it is all you will ever need!

Incredible book!, 01 Jul 2007
I am a high school student who made use of this book (and others) while preparing for my interview at the university of Oxford.

This book has thoroughly enhanced my understanding in the (broad!) field of organic chemistry.
The visual aspect of the book is outstanding. All reactions are coloured so as to emphasize on certain bonds and atoms in the molecules. There are continuous suggestions for students to compare certain reactions with others previously studied.
The content spans over 50 chapters. Unlike older texts where the division is made according to functional groups: (Chapter 1: alkanes, chapter 2: alkenes .....) this book instead classifies each chapter according to reaction types (nucleophilic, electrophilic substitution; nucleophilic, electrophilic addition; elimination E1, elimination E2 etc).

The text never digresses badly, and it always keeps in mind that it is a (high-school, college etc.) student reading.

I recommend this textbook to anyone interested in the field of organic chemistry.

The best undergraduate organic chemistry book ever written, 28 Aug 2006
This book manages to present the fundamentals of organic chemistry in such an engaging and clear manner that it is an absolute joy to use.

The questions reinforce the material wonderfully and provide a steady learning curve, first building confidence and then stretching the student.

The companion solutions text is definately also worth considering if you are using this book as a tutorial.

All in all, one of the best books you will come across as a student of chemistry.

Definitely worth the money, 20 Aug 2005
If you are serious about learning organic chemistry then go direct to the source. Stuart Warren and his fellow authors have really done a good job with this undergraduate level text.

The book is clearly laid out in sections with good use of colour and diagrams.

There is a glut of books on organic chemistry on the market but not all are as clear and accessible as this one.

Do yourself a favour and get this book and the solutions manual to go with it.

Great for revision, 28 Oct 2008
Bought this book to revise analytical techniques (NMR, IR, Mass Spec) prior to an interview and found it invaluable. Its language is plain and simple. Many of the things I could not understand while studying Chemistry at degree level suddenly kicked into place after reading this book (particularly NMR). The chapter on stereochemistry was also very good.
For less than a tenner, you really can't go wrong. Excellent book and highly recommended.

A good revision tool, 25 Sep 2008
I graduated with a chemistry degree just over two years ago and found that my chemistry knowledge was failing me, which isn't great if your trying to impress a would-be employer. This book was excellent, written in a concise easy to follow way. I think I had an advantage in understanding where it's coming from though, and so was a brilliant revision tool. If I had known about this book over two years ago I would have definitely got it as a study aid along side my textbooks.

I agree with the above review too, it's not for A-level students and covers a lot of stuff you won't need to know or may confuse what you need to know for you a-level exams, stick to a-level revision guides. However if your just starting your degree and are having to do a course in organic chemistry and are worried that as the previous review states this book is flawed don't worry you soon find out about resonance theory (yay!) which corrects the flawed model (and is explained thoroughly in this book). And I would highly recommend having a read before starting your classes as having some previous knowledge will help you follow your lectures.




For A-level students, 21 Sep 2007
Do not buy this book it makes the assumption that the Kekule Structure of benzene is objective, however, in the A-level mark scheme it is expected for you to know that it is flawed and that the delocalised pi electron structure is the Definitive model.

Ought to be a recommended text for my OU course, 15 Feb 2006
I bought this as someone else on my Open University course suggested it.

Absolutely brilliant book. It is written from the perspective that one has studied some chemistry, but that it is rusty. Best of all is the comment that organic chemistry is understandable, provided you don't start on the premise that you have no chance to understand it.

I would recommend this book for anyone struggling with organic chemistry.

Review Of Organic Chemistry For Dummies, 06 Jan 2006

excellent book ! definetly worth every penny! explains everything in an easy to understand format and with a humourous style. In my opinion would be both suitable for a person who is just beggining to study organic chemistry in detail -eg AS/A-level students-since it explains everything so well and also for those of us who are studying the subject at university level. I couldn't of got through my first semester organic chemistry module without this book!

Excellent, 12 Nov 2003
I use this book for my AS Level chemistry. It is not suitable for use on it's own but is an excellent supplement to a textbook. It has all the information you need, but not in as much detail as a main textbook.

Easy to understand, 01 Sep 2002
This is the best AQA revision book available. The rest of the books in the series are also worth buying. They contain a large amount of content but are small enough to read through for last minute revision. They helped me to get a grade A in my chemistry AS. I would definitely recommend these books to anyone studying the AQA syllabus.

An excellent guide-book for this module, 16 Mar 2002
The book covers the bare essentials for this chemistry module. Although it does not go into substantial detail, it is excellent as a quick reference and is also very useful for "last-minute" cramming

Small, concise and friendly looking but with plenty detail., 07 Mar 2002
The book is perfect for revision. I found it really great that it was specific only to my sylabus because it meant there were no extra pages to wade through. Although i am aware some books tell you which parts you need to look at for each specification i prefered a book catering for only one examining board because it kept content down to a minimum making it look less threatening and much more approachable! The modular format also really helped with this, i'd suggest you get the whole set! The content is easy to understand and in easily enough detail. The books do contain colour and highlighted text but not many different colours (generally just black, one bright colour and shades of gray) which i liked beaucse i find some revision books overwhelming and confusing due to them overdoing it on the colour! All in all, a very helpful revision aid.

Want to pass this exam? Buy this book!, 25 Feb 2002
It's official - whoever had the idea for this series of Collins revision guides is a genius. Why? Well, read on......
These guides are written specifically for the AQA Chemistry syllabus. Many revision guides are written for the general subject of Chemistry - however, there are differences between the different exam boards, and so using a syllabus specific revision guide ensures you are learning all of the material you need to know - and are not wasting time learning things not on your syllabus.
Plus, these provide clearly worked examples of the sorts of questions you get asked not only in exams, but also for your homework - which comes in useful! There is also a mock paper - taken form the AQA resource pack - and a detailed answer scheme, so you can really test your knowledge.
If that isn't enough to convince you that you should buy this immediately, this guide is also written really clearly, using bullet points, tables and margin notes to ensure you understand every topic fully, and each section is clearly referenced to the syllabus, so you can make revision notes really easily and quickly.
Still not convinced? Well - my chemistry teacher was so impressed with it, he's planning to buy a complete set for his class next year!
If you really want to do well in Chemistry......my advice? Buy this now!

Bible of chemistry, 06 Nov 2007
Fantastic book, if you are doing coures such as chemistry, pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. it covers everything

Best book ever, 24 Oct 2006
This book is fantastic for chemistry university undergrads. Fantastic book easy to follow and develops basic concept into more complicated ideas. Everythings in colour and has lovely pictures made by the latests graphics so that you can see the 3D structure of atoms and other stuff really easily. This book is recommended by university lecturers at manchester uni (we get a free copy yipee!)- it is one of the core texts. This book is a must have - to ease transition from A-level to degree and beyond into furthur chemistry. Also has worked answers and questions for you to try. Such a good book in every way. It makes chemistry so fun and intersting with all the really good graphics and pictures.
GET THIS BOOK - IT IS A CHEMISTRY UNDERGRAD MUST HAVE

An excellent breif overview, 03 Feb 2006
A very good introduction into a field of interest to many different disciplines. Its appeal to such a variety of scientific backgrounds means that it lacks specific detail to some. Its ability to spark the imagination and unifty concepts is powerful. The third edition (2005) offers a breif but essential summery of relevant key concepts within my own background, theoretical and computational chemistry, despite some matieral quickly being outdated. The rest of the book offered an intriguing insight into the minds of collegues within the drug development industry. Suitible to undergraduates, this text is an invaluble introduction to broad range of exciting fields.

Average, 13 Jun 2005
This book is generally ok - topics are sufficiently well explained with some good examples. Probably quite good value for money and you probably wouldn't be disappointed with it. For a little more money though you can get a real classic in this field - "The Organic Chemsitry of Drug Design and Drug Action" by Silverman which contains a wealth of information about drug interaction and is so readable and very clear to understand. If you want to just get buy on a budget then buy this - if you really want to know your stuff for a little extra then go for Silverman's book.

An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry (2nd Edition), 14 Nov 2003
It's a good textbook for a chemistry student who needs to know a little bit of every branches of his studies, but the level is not enough high if you want to understand the biochemical processes completely.

Great book for those studying medicinal chemistry!, 01 Jan 2003
For the topics the book covers - it certainly does well! It is easy to follow and understand. The diagrams are clear and helpful - espcially in the opiates chapter. It is generally a useful resource in furthering your understanding of this subject!

However, if I should have one critisism - it certainly doesn't and wouldn't be able to cover everything.. Noticeably it lacks information on certain receptor groups. It also doesn't cover in depth possible chemistry mechanisms, which I believe enhances under