The development of university organic chemistry curricula and the trend towards modularisation of chemistry courses has driven the need for smaller, highly focussed and accessible organic chemistry textbooks, which complement the very detailed “standard texts”, to guide students through the key principles of the subject.
This concise and accessible book provides organic chemistry notes for students studying chemistry and related courses at undergraduate level, covering core organic chemistry in a format ideal for learning and rapid revision. The material is organised so that fundamental concepts are introduced early, then built on to provide an overview of the essentials of functional group chemistry and reactivity, leading the student to a solid understanding of the basics of organic chemistry. Graphical presentation of information is central to the book, to facilitate the rapid assimilation, understanding and recall of critical concepts, facts and definitions.
Students wanting a comprehensive and accessible overview of organic chemistry to build the necessary foundations for a more detailed study will find this book an ideal source of the information they require. In addition, the structured presentation, highly graphical nature of the text and practice problems with outline answers will provide an invaluable framework and aid to revision for students preparing for examinations.
Table of Contents:
Preface. Structure and Bonding.
Functional Groups, Nomenclature and Drawing Organic Compounds.
Stereochemistry; Reactivity and Mechanism.
Alkyl Halides.
Alkenes and Alkynes; Benzenes.
Carbonyl Compounds: Aldehydes and Ketones.
Carbonyl Compounds: Carboxylic Acids and Derivatives.
Spectroscopy.
Natural Products and Synthetic Polymers.
Outline Answers to Problems.
Further Reading.
Appendices.
Index
About the Author :
Dr Andrew F. Parsons is a senior lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, University of York, UK.
Review :
"There are a number of strengths to this book. Firstly, the usage of diagrams and key phrases/bullet points is excellent, making the book user friendly and educationally sound.
The book complements, rather than competes with, standard core text. It is distinct in its approach and should not be considered as just another organic chemistry book.
I imagine that this book will prove popular with undergraduates and I would be happy to recommend this book to my students - I am sure that their knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of chemisty would improve as a consequence."
Synthesis, 2004
"The author has made an effort to prsent the material clearly and to limit the text to what is essential ("pictures speak louder than words"). This often works very well."
"The book fufulls its aim of providing a short summary of organic chemistry for revision purposes."
Angewandte Chemie 2004
"Despite the book's small size, each chapter is thorough, with coversge of all important reactions found at first-year level... ideal for the first-year student wishing to revise... and priced and designed appropriately." The Times Higher Education Supplement, 2004
"Parsons has successfully distilled an entire 1200 page textbook to the essentials a student should take away from a full year of undergraduate organic chemistry"
"...this text provides an outline of what should be known and understood, including fundamental concepts and mechanisms"
"...the text can then allow the student to discern quickly which reactions/concepts they understand and which ones they don't."
Journal of Chemical Education, May 2004
