Organic Chemistry: An Intermediate Text

By Robert V. Hoffman

Book Overview

Organic Chemistry: An Intermediate Text provides a focused yet rigorous presentation of organic chemistry which bridges the gap between introductory undergraduate texts and advanced graduate level texts. Instead of a functional group approach, the material is presented from a structural and mechanistic point of view. The first five chapters discuss basic principles which are fundamental in understanding organic reactions and reactivity of all types. These principles include structure and bonding, oxidation levels, acidity and basicity, curved arrow notation, and stereochemistry and conformation. Subsequent topics are based on these fundamental principles and include functional group manipulation, strategies and methods for forming carbon-carbon bonds, and retrosynthetic analysis. Chapters on methods for determining reaction mechanisms and methods for organic structure determination round out the subject matter and provide additional insight into modern ways to investigate organic transformations. A large number of practice problems are included at the end of each chapter so that students may effectively learn and organize the information presented in the text.
Clearly written and logically organized, this unique textbook provides senior undergraduate chemistry students and beginning graduate students with the advanced organic foundation necessary to move confidently into advanced graduate level courses or directly into the workplace.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195096185
• ISBN13: 9780195096187
• Release Date: November 1996
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.8" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Brilliant, Well Written Text

I think this book is well-written, and easy to read. I am CEO of two companies and Ph.D in Organic Chemistry, and urge any reader to try this book. A beautiful answer key is also on the back. The book allows one to review many of the newer type reactions such as Stille, Heck,and Suzuki. I think it will lessen the shock for a student who is about to read the Smith book or Jerry March. Both are also great books, but one should start with this book first. Dr Jim Romano Romano Scientific New York

Organic Chemistry - An Intermediate Text

Well written and easy to understand review of orgo I and II. Includes all the basic concepts - functional groups, bonding,orbitals, acids & bases,stereochemistry,reaction mechanisms, nucleophiles/electrophiles, synthesis, spectroscopy and more. If you plan on taking any upper/graduate level organic courses but it has been years since taking sophomore organic, Hoffman's text is a must. The book is also light and compact and won't weigh you down like your typical organic textbook.

Another Endorsement

I agree completely with the second reviewer in endorsing this book. I have a BS degree & MS degree in Organic Chemistry, so have taken my share of undgrad & grad Organic courses. When I was taking Advanced Organic as an undergrad, our professor mentioned that there wasn't really an adequate textbook for an advanced Organic course at the time. I saw this book as a grad student & read it and thought it would have been perfect for the advanced undergrad course or as a refresher before starting grad courses. It really does do a great job of bridging undergraduate material(which to me is analogous to learning the alphabet and spelling) with graduate material(which is analogous to grammar and writing). I wish I would have found it BEFORE I took grad level Physical Organic & Organic Synthesis courses - it would have made reading Carey & Sundberg a little easier. I would guess that the first reviewer's extensive collections of Organic texts has blinded him to what it was like when he was originally learning the material - he has forgotten how taking the leap from memorizing reactions to actually understanding the concepts behind them can be daunting, and that although these concepts are mentioned in undergrad textbooks, they really aren't explained to any length. So yeah, the concepts are THERE, but you'd have to understand them already to find the treatment given to them by undergrad textbooks adequate.

Disagree completely

I will have to disagree totally with the previous reviewer. This book, is in no way an outline or review of organic chemistry. It is instead, as the title states, an intermediate text that is intended to bridge the 2 semester undergraduate organic and graduate organic chemistry. It begins to introduce physical organic fundamentals as well as presenting more advanced concepts. It is not a review. Nor is it a collection of reaction mechanisms. It is an excellent intermediate text.