What's the best Organic Chemistry textbook? (For a starting Orgo 1 student..)

[BerkeleyPremed]

I'm entering the 4th week of orgo at my school and I'm looking for another textbook that would have lots of good sample problems (worked out in the chapters). If you guys have used any particular Organic Chem book that you thought really explained the concepts well, please recommend them here. I'm looking for a good textbook to use in conjunction with the one assigned by my professor because I've already done all the problems in the back of the sections that the professor has covered in class and I'd like to do some more problems (yes, I know...I'm in full "turbo-nerd" mode). Any suggestions would be highly appreciated. Thanks a lot guys.


P.S.: The textbook assigned for my class is Organic Chemistry by K. Peter C. Vollhardt and Neil Schore.

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[Dr. Steve Urkel]

Organic Chemistry by L.G. Wade, Jr.

awesome book!🙂

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

Which edition of Wade? Or are all of them equally good? (my Amazon search turned up a 3rd, 4th, and 5th edition...although I doubt there is a huge difference here...I'm sure the more recent ones have more "modern applications" sections in them).

 

[robotdancing]

wade is an awesome text. go with either the 4th or 5th edition. (they're very similar; if there's a significant price difference b/w the two, i'd just go w/ the cheaper one)

and i'd HIGHLY recommend buying the wade specific solutions manual... they work out every problem in the book very thoroughly and understandably.

 

[vixenell]

I have an extra 🙂madon't ask) brand new Maitland Jones Orgo book and Solutions Manual/Student guide that I need to get rid of. It has lots of problems, and each solution written out in detail.

 

[PianoGirl04]

All the orgo classes at my school use Loudon, "Organic Chemistry." It's a gigantic book but very thorough. There aren't too many problems worked out in the text, but there are problem sets at the end of each chapter, and you can buy a solutions manual separately if you want detailed explanations of how to solve them.

 

[lyragrl]

Wade rocks!!!

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

I think I'll just go with the 4th edition of Organic Chemistry by Wade. ECampus.com has a pretty price for it and it seems like lots of people on this site have used this book and liked it a lot.

 

[fava]

i used wade as well, and thought it was a great book. you should definitely consider robotdancing's suggestion about the solutions manual, especially if you're into doing lots of problems.

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

I just placed the order for the 4th edition of Wade and the accompanying student solution's manual from the publisher's website (Pearson Education-Prentice Hall). ;-) It costs a pretty penny (still cheaper than ecampus.com and way cheaper than amazon.com), but I'm sure it'll be worth it. I really do not like the textbook that my professor assigned (written by another professor at my school...). Thanks a lot gusy! All of your suggestions were helpful and I appreciate it a lot. 🙂

 

[chameleonknight]

I really liked the ExamKrackers 1001 Orgo book. It has plenty of practice problems, but the solutions aren't that detailed. You'll have to do some of the "Grunt work" yourself. But still, a good investment for the mcat.

www.examkrackers.com

 

[boomuntilnoon]

Seyhan Ege's Organic Chemistry.
Paul Scudder's Electron Flow in Organic Chemistry (he's my professor!)... and it's in paperback!

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

There should be 3 types of toilet paper being sold in your grocery market aisle...Charmin, Nothern Lights, and the Organic Chemistry textbook that my professor assigned this semester. I really hope this Wade book is as good as everyone said it would be because the current textbook I have really does not explain much of anything and the sample problems are pretty bad too.

 

[loomis]

My undergrad used McMurryy..ok text.....in my grad school, the intro orgo class used loudon. when i started studying for the mcats, i found both pretty helpful

actually....the "best" help IMHO for a review was one of the review books...like TPR or EK if you can get a hold of them..got straight to the point for the orgo you need for the mcat. hope this helps!

 

[petersongator]

I used Wade at UF, and it had great examples and problem sets.

 

[lalee]

I had Wade, 4th edition for Orgo I/II and agree the text and solutions manual was very helpful. 🙂

 

[SleepPsych72]

Wade 5th edition is the only textbook you will need. I have read and reread that thing so much you would not believe it but I have really learned organic chemistry with it. I sound like the commericial or something. It really is a good book though!

 

[rgporter]

Solomon's Organic Chemistry. By John Wiley & sons staff. I loved this book.
After I finished OC my school switched to some book the professor wrote, big mistake. I have had the following experience with books written by my professors. Borrow the book the professor wrote to see what his pet subjects are, study with a book written by a professional.

P.S. Solomon's had some of the best reation mechanisms I have ever seen, put right in the page where he describes the reaction. Not like those anoying books where they describe it then show it to you when you turn the page or finish the chapter.

 

[meihee]

I am actually looking to get a different orgo book so this thread caught my eye. Our school uses Carey. Whatever you do, don't get it. It is a VERY poorly written book.

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

I don't know about the Carey book. But the book I have is written by a professor at my school and I am not very fond of it...to say the least (Vollhardt&Schore's Organic Chemistry ).

 

[dmoney41]

Yes, we use V&S too. Is it really that bad? I haven't really read any other orgo books to compare it to.

 

[kiahs]

I agree with the others the Wade book is awesome it has pictures and if you chip in the extra fifty bucks for the solutions manual it is definately worth every penny. Go with the newest 5th edition because I had the fourth and some of the solution in the solution manual were wrong so I figure the new addtion should be much better. BUt Wade all the way. Got me though organic!!

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

To Kiahs: I ordered the 4th edition because everyone on the thread cited that one specifically and because I didn't see any on-line reviews of the 5th edition (probalby because it's too new). I saw lots of really positive on-line reviews of the 4th edition. As for some of the solutions in the solutions manual being wrong...exactly how much is "some?"...lol If I have to...I can exchange the 4th edition for the 5th edition.

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

BUMP

P.S.: Woohoo!! The UPS guy delivered my Wade 4th edition textbook with Solutions Manual today. I ordered it using UPS Next Day because my midterm is coming up on Sept. 29th and I wanted to study with the new book for awhile.

 

[sleep deprived]

I loved Carey, I majored in chem also. I think Carey is great.

 

[Suey]

Does anyone have any reviews on Organic Chem book by Vollhardt? My school uses that one but with all the stellar reviews about Wade, I'm wondering if I should buy that one too or if Vollhardt is sufficient enough...

 

[uclakid]

Organic Chemistry by Bruice

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

Suey: As you've probably read earlier in this thread...my professor also assigned Vollhardt (he kind of has to...Vollhardt teaches at this school). I'm really not that big of a fan of Vollhardt's book and you can see the mixed reviews of his book on Amazon.com. Wade received great reviews from basically everyone on Amazon and this site. Guess I'll find out what I think of it after I start covering the material by myself 😉

 

[Pre-Dent-David]

I have carey.... My chem professor actually admitted that he didnt like the book... Man this makes me worry.

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

I just finished the first 2 chapters of Wade and I'm now working on the 3rd chapter which is Alkanes and Stereochemistry. This book really is 100x better than my old one...lol. Thanks a lot guys for recommending it!

 

[spumoni620]

Wade is amazing...With that book I was able to review o-chem for the mcat w/o actually having taken the class...and did well! you can't go wrong w/the 4th ed--this is what i have. i haven't yet found mistakes in the soln manual...and since i've gone thru ch 1-11 so far, i know at least 1/2 the book is error free. good luck!

 

[jlee9531]

Originally posted by BerkeleyPremed
I don't know about the Carey book. But the book I have is written by a professor at my school and I am not very fond of it...to say the least (Vollhardt&Schore's Organic Chemistry ).

i am SOO glad i dropped out of vollhardt back in the day...lame ass iupac loser.

but that was a gift cause i got to have prof bertozzi and pedersen.........the two best ochem professors i have seen in california.......

yes yes i am lame.......i actually visited the other ochem professors when i visited my friends at the other UCs and they werent that great.....

hey berkeleypremed...if you get pedersen you'll hear him trash the vollhardt book.......i dont even remember him telling us to read it really....

its too bad bertozzi isnt in the regular rotation for teaching ochem...shes flat out amazing. if you ever want to take advanced ochem (chem 113) bergman is pretty cool too. nice guy and knows his stuff. but its always 8am....boo and crazy ass tests....but its cool......haha a small class of ochem lovers that study hard and play hard as well. i swear we must have gone drinking after class at least once a week haha.

but yeah...
ochem makes the world go round 😉 haha...

 

[Jonathanamine]

go with Carey.