Organic Chemistry as a Second Language: First Semester Topics 5th Edition

Let me give David Klein a big fat juicy kiss, best book ever. Got an A+ in both Orgo 1 and 2 because of his two Organic Chemistry as a Second Language books. Words can't describe how much I love this man and his incredible way of teaching orgo.

First, there are 2 volumes of this book (that I know of). This is the first volume.I absolutely recommend this book for anyone in organic chemistry. This book teaches better than 85% of professors. I think this book covers functional groups and nomenclature plus a few other topics. The explanation is much more concise than a standard textbook but it's supplemented with problems that will help you grasp the meaning. Trust me.I am telling you to disregard negative reviews about this book. Some have purchased used books that have writing inside (that sucks). Some are saying positive reviews were coerced (that's a lie). Some probably really struggled to learn from this book (if that was you then STEM is NOT the way for you friend).If you want to learn organic chemistry and your professor meanders about life, or goes a mile a minute, or is fine and you just need some extra help... get this book

This helps me pass the class!

This book is an absolute lifesaver for students that are taking organic chemistry whether it’s the first or third time. I was unfortunately the latter that has taken it more than once. This book explained every topic in great detail but made it understandable so it wasn’t overwhelming. I would 100% recommend this book to anyone that is planning on or has to take organic chemistry.

I knew I would have some trouble with Orgo from the start as I am not too science savvy, math is my strong point. I had trouble with even the most basic concepts at the beginning. This book breaks down topics for people who aren't as great at comprehending text or pictures. I feel like it's basically a "for dummies" collection without it being too simplified and speaks in a formal tone. It's very very simplistic to understand. I think one great aspect of it is that not only does it explain how to do a problem, it also offers along practice problems. I basically relied on this book heavily to save my grade and it delivered. I'm planning on ordering the second portion of it when I enter into Orgo 2. I'm very happy I listened to everyone who said to order this as it was worth it.Ps. this book is good for simple orgo but if you are taking orgo at a hard school like Rutgers, it really wont make much of a difference. This is just a good intro book

Before I took my first semester of Organic Chemistry at a Top 20 US News University (read: intro classes can be rather difficult), I picked up this book based on the insanely positive reviews it garnered (and because I was so scared from what my upperclassmen peers told me about the course). After earning an A- in the course deemed a weed-out at my school (as I witnessed firsthand at the end of the semester as the number of pre-med students dwindled), I can definitely see why this little book as received so much praise.The author really does have a talent at devolving the most difficult concepts into easy-to-understand terms. He plainly EXCELS at explaining everything up to the section on reactions. There are TONS of examples with the key in the back, making this book more of an integrated workbook than a simple explanation guide, which helps immensely. The sections on relative acidity and Sn and E reactions were wonderfully clear and helpful.My only critique of this book is that while the most basic organic reactions are covered (the ones that absolutely everyone in any Orgo course would need to know at any university), he didn't touch up on some that our professor said were basic. Obviously that's fine, because that's the purpose of going to class and buying the textbook, but just something to note!A word of advice--definitely buy this book, but also get your textbook and read it. As I just mentioned, there are going to be things that this book simply cannot, by its nature, cover. This book goes miles as a companion on the long, but manageable, road to understanding organic chemistry.

I am currently in an Organic Chemistry course and this was the only book our professor had us buy. I can see why he loves it so much. It is very good at taking one step at a time and building upon concepts learned. It has a bunch of practice problems in each chapter with the answers in the back which has been so nice to see if I'm really understanding the concepts being taught. The examples the author uses in the text are relatable and it is easy to read. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about organic chemistry.