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Summary: Orgo made easy! (well, maybe not easy, but possible)
Review: being a first time TA for this course i found this book really exiting to reacd and pretty simple to understand. a book written the way it should be. easy to understand and follow. designed for all students with and with out previous knowledge of this subject.
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Summary: An amazing organic chemistry text!
Review: Dr. Jones's text is the best chemistry textbook I have used to date. This text is excellent for anyone taking sophomore/junior level undergraduate organic chemistry or for anyone who needs a comprehensive overview of the basics of organic chemistry. It is very readable and easy to follow; Dr. Jones's style of addressing the reader directly gives the text a personal feel to it. Highly recommended to any student of organic chemistry!! A superb textbook.
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Summary: An amazing organic chemistry text!
Review: If you're normal, then you probably aren't too excited about taking Organic Chemistry. However, Jones Organic Chemistry is a much much better text than many of the orgo books out there. The book is set up the way that you should learn chemistry, the way that it makes sense, and not the way that many chemistry classes are being taught at many universities.
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Summary: Orgo Book the way it should be written
Review: Jones' book definitely stands out among other organic chemistry textbooks. Unlike every other organic chemistry book I've looked at, this book does not once use the excuse "...but that is beyond the scope of this course..." Jones manages to explain just about everything and if you actually take the time to do the problems as they're presented, you will find yourself able to answer fundamental orgo questions without memorizing. On the other hand, this book is not for the weak of heart. You must be motivated to use this book precisely because of the aforementioned. Jones will NEVER give a superficial explanation. There is literally an explanation for EVERTHING and it takes some patience to decide what's important for an upcoming exam and what will contribute to your complete understanding of the subject. If you're the above average student, this is definitely for you. If you're not, then well...let's put it this way, you'll definitely learn something. There's also the added plus that the author doesn't assume everyone's an expert right off and as a result uses very basic scientific language to begin with.
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Summary: A Good Introduction to OChem....
Review: Jones' text is definitely an interesting introduction to organic chemistry. You manage to actually see some of the reason why a mechanism works in the way it does, why reactions turn out the way they do, which I happen to like. Which can be a distinct difference from the way most OChem courses are taught...which is a good thing. Of course, the text also has its flaws. It makes for a horrible reference text. Tables, charts, etc. are spread through the text and not collated in a back of the book appendix. Sure, you can check the index, but what a waste of valuable energy that could be spent doing problems. :) Also, I found the historical anecdotes either funny or annoying, depending on my mood. All in all, a solid book for an OChem course.
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Summary: Orgo Book the way it should be written
Review: Of all the Organic Chemistry text books I have reviewed, this one is at the bottom of the pile. It is not logically presented and figures are confusing. For an excellent undergraduate (200 or 300 level class) try Brown and Foote.
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Summary: Jones' Organic Chemistry is an outstanding teaching text
Review: On short notice, I was asked to teach a course in Organic Chemistry, and I have been casting about for an apporpriate text -- a text for my students and for myself; it's been a few years since I last taught OChem. Maitland Jones' Organic Chemistry is a gem, and I recommend it highly. As Jones states in the introduction, the presentation emphasizes understanding, not memorization. Jones discusses the whys and wherefores of organic chemistry. Why is it that, the greater the substitution, the more stable the alkene? Turn the page; Jones provides an explanation. What is the basis of optical rotation? Read on; the rationale follows the rule. More importantly, Jones asks the reader to participate in his development of the material. In-chapter questions lead the reader through a discovery of the basis of Bredt's rule, for example, before the formal explanation. There are some faults, to be sure -- some first edition errors in the text (very few, despite numerous cross-references), and perspective in some of the orbital diagrams is a bit confusing. However, the tone of the text engages the reader, and the numerous illustrations are carefully chosen. Jones leads the student on a path of discovery, carefully adding details to the map in forays from known territory. This book must be read "pencil in hand," as Jones admonishes, i.e. actively. For those who take the time to do so, it is richly rewarding.
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Summary: Don't buy this book!
Review: This has to be one of the worst ever organic chemistry books ever devised. The author will give a detailed explanation with illustrations and at the very end of the discussion , once you have committed the information to memory, the book will say that it does not happen this way. The author seems to wax poetic, however, he gives no simple list of rules for common nomenclature problems, for example, I defy you to find a list of how to name alkanes under IUPAC rules. All you want is a simple list , for example, 1) find the longest chain of carbons, 2) ......... instead of this you will be exposed to extraneous quotes from plays and movies as well as anecdotes from the authors life. Another complaint is that the book gives several good questions in the text and at the end of the chapter, but NO answers in the back. If you want the answers, you have to purchase the 40.00 solution manual. My condolences to you if your o-chem teacher has been hoodwinked into using this book by the publisher, the only advice I can give is that you purchase the solutions manual, because this gives some very detailed explanations. Good luck, because you will need it.
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