Anyone else use Klein's O-Chem textbook?

[SmurfTurf]

So I was planning on buying David Klein's "Organic as a second language" books to help me out this year in organic. However my professor (finally) posted our textbooks and required materials and it looks like our class is using Klein's actual O-chem textbook as our class text. It seems, based on amazon reviews and other things I've read online that this textbook is awesome, so I'm pretty excited that we are using it in our class...

My question is do you guys think I should still get the second language books to help me out, or do you think the textbook and the second language books will pretty much be the same thing since they are by the same guy? I was planning on buying the second language book on amazon and reading some before the semester starts, but now I'm wondering if I should just get the textbook, since I'll need it anyway, and start reading that instead.

Anyone else out there used Klein's O-chem textbook? Is it still worth it to buy the Organic as a second language books, or should I just save some money and buy the textbook and start reading that? I just don't want to buy basically the same exact thing twice, if they are similar.

This is the textbook

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[487806]

So I was planning on buying David Klein's "Organic as a second language" books to help me out this year in organic. However my professor (finally) posted our textbooks and required materials and it looks like our class is using Klein's actual O-chem textbook as our class text. It seems, based on amazon reviews and other things I've read online that this textbook is awesome, so I'm pretty excited that we are using it in our class...

My question is do you guys think I should still get the second language books to help me out, or do you think the textbook and the second language books will pretty much be the same thing since they are by the same guy? I was planning on buying the second language book on amazon and reading some before the semester starts, but now I'm wondering if I should just get the textbook, since I'll need it anyway, and start reading that instead.

Anyone else out there used Klein's O-chem textbook? Is it still worth it to buy the Organic as a second language books, or should I just save some money and buy the textbook and start reading that? I just don't want to buy basically the same exact thing twice, if they are similar.

This is the textbook

It's your choice. Get the second language book if you wish

 

[Do Something]

I can't praise Klein's textbook highly enough. My O-chem 1 was taught using Klein. O-chem 2 (at another school) was taught using Solomons. Nobody in my O-chem 1 class needed the Second Language book, but a lot of people in my O-chem 2 did need it. I actually used Klein's textbook as a resource when I was in the class that taught using Solomons. I doubt you'll need the Second Language book if you're using Klein's textbook.

 

[Brownman55]

Having bought both books these are now my tips for you.

O-chem 1: Buy the book, even if it does leave out some things it gives you a really good basis of knowledge and a lot of practice doing things like naming, drawing resonance structures, stereochem, Sn1/2 blah blah etc... It's has a few nice little shortcuts or tricks for certain things and I found it explained things better in some instances than my textbook or professor.

O-chem 2: Ultimately this one is up to you. I bought the second book and used it for maybe the first 2 chapters and then stopped. I found it was less useful second semester just because the topics you'll start covering go from pretty simple things in orgo 1 to just a long, long list of reaction types in orgo 2. I was better off just learning from my text book.

Hope that helps !

 

[csx]

That textbook was very good. Never bought the 2nd language book so can't comment on that but I found the textbook was more than enough and easy to read for the most part. A very visual book too!

 

[plumhill]

I found Klein's to be VERY helpful for Orgo 1, especially for resonance, chair conformations, and Sn1/Sn2/E1/E2. Of course every topic in your class may not be in klein's book so I wouldn't depend on it entirely. There are a couple of topics from Volume 2 that showed up in my Orgo 1 class so I'd get both books at the beginning of the year if you are planning on using them. For Orgo 2 there weren't as many topics from my class covered in Klein's so it wasn't as helpful.

 

[Follower12]

I only bought the second language book for orgo 1 but it did help me a lot. I did a few sections once and a while during the summer before I took orgo and it gave me a decent foundation to build off of and saved me some reading from my boring orgo text. I never seen the textbook you are referring to but I bet its just a more detailed version of the second language book. If i were you I would just go with Klein's textbook.

 

[csx]

I found Klein's to be VERY helpful for Orgo 1, especially for resonance, chair conformations, and Sn1/Sn2/E1/E2. Of course every topic in your class may not be in klein's book so I wouldn't depend on it entirely. There are a couple of topics from Volume 2 that showed up in my Orgo 1 class so I'd get both books at the beginning of the year if you are planning on using them. For Orgo 2 there weren't as many topics from my class covered in Klein's so it wasn't as helpful.

for YOUR class. I found it helpful for mine. It depends on the class i suppose.

 

[Roxas]

I also used Klein's textbook, but only read bits and pieces of his second language books. You only need his textbook. It is very good about presenting topics in the absolute most understandable way, and gives a lot of good examples/practice for every concept. I can't recommend his text highly enough, and I don't think you need the others.

 

[surfdoc29]

I used it in O chem 1 and 2 and thought it was great. It explains things very clearly and has plenty of practice problems. I would highly recommend getting the solutions manual with it as well.

I actually used it to teach myself the o chem 2 stuff on the mcat as I took it before taking o chem 2.

 

[SmurfTurf]

I used it in O chem 1 and 2 and thought it was great. It explains things very clearly and has plenty of practice problems. I would highly recommend getting the solutions manual with it as well.

I actually used it to teach myself the o chem 2 stuff on the mcat as I took it before taking o chem 2.

Thanks for the help everyone. The solutions manual is recommended for us from the instructor so I was planning on getting it too. Sounds like I will just get the textbook and then, if I get stuck or am having issues look into the 2nd language book. I just didn't want to get both of them if the textbook is good enough by its self! Thanks for the help!

 

[plumhill]

Thanks for the help everyone. The solutions manual is recommended for us from the instructor so I was planning on getting it too. Sounds like I will just get the textbook and then, if I get stuck or am having issues look into the 2nd language book. I just didn't want to get both of them if the textbook is good enough by its self! Thanks for the help!

Are you referring to the solutions manual for your textbook? That is pretty much required since you'll be getting a LOT of questions wrong when you practice. The Klein books aren't that expensive, btw, and they're fairly popular. You can probably borrow an older copy from an upperclassman.

 

[mwall003]

You'll be set with Kleins. It was a great book and made organic actually somewhat enjoyable.