Organic Chemistry I as a Second Language: Translating the Basic Concepts Reviews

• Must Have for Resonance

  
  By A3B5FD8T6NRAAD on 2004-12-24
  I did not understand resonance structures at all using other textbooks. After reading this book. I feel like I am a master. I wished all college textbooks were at the caliber of this tiny little book. Klein is an excellent teacher. He gives the straight facts in a way that makes perfect sense and doesn't bore you to death. Understanding resonance is, I think, one of the most important aspects of organic, and you're doomed if you don't. Beware, this book does not replace your textbook or instructor. All of the important equations such as alcohol, alkyne, and ketone synthesis are no where to be found in this book. This book really gives you the fundamentals that you need to understand orgo. That reason alone is enough to get it.
  
  

• Excellent book

  
  By A2Q24OKLJA78WM on 2005-04-15
  My teacher mentioned this book after someone asked her about it at the start of the semester. I wish I had bought it then. One of my problems with text books is that they will define something once and then you're expected to have it mastered as it builds on that concept. This book seems to repeat things, not to where it's annoying but when he moves on to something else he'll review a previous part that applies to it. It really helps pull the material together. I wonder if my professor looks through it as well. Some of my class notes follow the book closely but that might be how everyone teachs it. I believe it was when she was covering SN1 and SN2 and the four steps to determine which way something will go based on the catalyst, reactants, etc... Anyway, buy this book. It's more than worth it to supplement your textbook and notes.
  
  

• If you are Pre-Med, an engineer, or just taking Orgo, then..

  
  By A3CT8FPJPE72ZS on 2004-06-08
  GET THIS BOOK! I'm a current pre-med student at Columbia University and i wanted a book to help me prep for my upcoming Orgo class. Though I haven't finished this book, I can honestly say it is fabulous! I had to stop reading to come and write this review. Klein def. knows his stuff. He breaks it down into PLAIN ENGLISH! And for a student like me who hates the terminology of expensive text books, this is much needed relief. Its like he's talking to directly to you. You almost expect him to call, when you're done with the book, to congratulate and wish you luck in the future. There are many examples, some simple, others tricky and a bit advanced. I truly believe that you (and I) will go into any Organic Chem class and feel very secure about the material. Do yourself a favor and get this book. It concise, compact, and an easy read...A recommended book for you to take while your on that summer vacation!
  
  

• AMAZING, but be careful

  
  By A3BV1OMUQIO304 on 2005-02-24
  This book was amazing for my first semester orgo class. The book helped me truly master the material, and I got an A in the class. But, be careful, it doesn't cover the second semester of organic. If you buy it for your second semester course, it will only serve as a review for the first semester material. My freind did that, and she was kicking herself that she didn't have it during the first semester.
  I heard through the grapevine that Klein is writing a supplement to cover second semester as well. I hope it comes out real soon. Professor Klein, if you are reading this, please hurry up with the second semester book. The first book saved my semester!
  
  

• A Best-seller on our Campus

  
  By on 2004-01-31
  Our Organic Prof suggested that we look at this book, he said it communicated his way of thinking about Organic Chemistry, and that he highly recommended it.

  Many of our class slipped out of the lecture to ensure that we could get one of the 37 copies available locally, I was one of them.

  David R Klein is a genius at making Organic Chemistry easy to learn. What are those other authors thinking? Klein, in less than 100 pages - covered all the material we did in our first semester - and I finally understood what is going on. Finally, an Organic Text that gives you what you need!

  He very quickly develops the skills you need to do well on your exams. Mark my word- there is NO OTHER text even remotely as usefull as this one - it's saving the life of half of my classmates - they're begging each other to borrow the text when the owner is not using it - even for 1 hour at a time.

  Love this book! Thank you David Klein for saving my semester. Thank you again!
  
  

• Save yourself some trouble, buy this book!
  By on 2004-02-13
  Put simply, this book is amazing. Klein presents clear explanations of the main concepts of organic chemistry; he has a gift for reducing complicated concepts into plain language. This book offers helpful hints and patterns for things like resonance and chair conformations that you probably won't find in your textbook. For example, I found that my textbook would basically say "here's what resonance is, now draw some resonance structures" and I was left struggling to find a systematic way of drawing them. Klein's book shows patterns to look for when you're drawing resonance strucures so it takes less time. This book will prevent some headaches.
  
  
• This book helps every step of the way.
  By A2WATJVF797IA2 on 2004-09-30
  I'm taking Organic Chemistry for the second time, and this book is invaluable to me. The sequence of the book closely matches that of the course, and the information provided in the book supplements and enhances the material I get in lecture.
  
  The book breaks organic chemistry down into simple rules and gives a great frame of reference for really learning the material. My grades on quizzes and exams are better, and reading the book and doing the many practice questions saves time for me later--it doesn't seem like more work, but instead, it helps me work and learn more efficiently.
  
  I bought this book from reading amazon.com reviews. I highly recommend this book to anyone taking organic chemistry.
  
  
• Enthusiastic professor, great writer!
  By A29B3K0OEYP5ZA on 2004-04-14
  Dr. Klein is a professor (and former student) at Johns Hopkins who really inspired me to (gasp!) go way beyond the general requirements of organic chemistry to go on to take upper level and graduate courses on the subject, even while I am not a chemistry major!

  He takes the anxiety out of organic chemistry and teaches it as a friend, even when my lecture class had over 450 students.

  I highly recommend his book as not only a way to learn organic chemistry but to welcome learning organic chemistry.
  
  

• I love you, Prof Klein
  By on 2004-06-17
  I'm a JHU student who took orgo two years ago. I got a D and I had no idea what was going on. Now I am taking orgo again with Prof Klein and its an entirely different class for me. Klein has this subject broken down into basic concepts, and it makes total sense now. We aren't even required to have the $120 text book (with its additional $80 solutions manual), just this short, simple, well-outlined book which I got for a mere $20. I still use Wade and my old Carey texts for additional problems, but I can't see how you can learn orgo effectively with those texts. Buy this book, do the problems and you will have a much easier time. And Klein, you are a great teacher, by the way.
  
  
• AWESOME
  By A3PP1CYZFW1KE1 on 2004-06-11
  This is by far and away the best book I have ever seen for ORGO. I read and did the book before starting class and I have the highest average in the class! Eveything is in language that is understandable (even to a dyslexic like me!) and actually fun to read. My Prof. wanted to see it after I told him about it and he's recommending it as an optional text for the fall classes .. He also borrowed my copy to take to the departmental meeting and show to the other Profs. If you have to take ORGO and do well, this it THE BOOK to help you do it!
  
  
• Nice review, but too basic
  By AP4V8SHEW0IM7 on 2005-02-16
  It was a nice review for my first semester of organic chemistry, but it was too basic for my college course. I am required to go into much more detail and mechanisms than this book even mentions. good for intro and as a supplement if you really need it, but dont rely on it to get you through.
  
  
• best basic organic book ever
  By on 2004-02-11
  I ordered this book in the during the second semester of Organic chemistry I am enrolled in and only wished I had ordered it earlier. It gets down to the very basics of Organic such a resonance forms and pushing electrons and explains it simply and clearly. It is still a help for me, but would have been extremely helpful in the beginning.It is a very quick read which is surprising for anything related to organic and you should be able to read a chapter a night easily. I wish they could make this book a required book for organic college courses as I have found it much more helpful than the texts I am given for class.It also has brief exercises throughout each chapter and the exercises are enough to help you learn the concepts without them getting tedious.
  If you are trying to get through Organic, it will be the best 25 buck you ever spent, and I can guarantee you will learn something from this book.
  
  
• The Good Reviews on this Book are Pretty Much Dead-On
  By A138RK8TKOVT6P on 2005-07-04
  I took Organic Chemistry I during the first summer session at Duke University and this book was my warm-up for the class and a faithful companion during the course. How interesting that you can take about 500 pages of material from a textbook and condense it into the 250 or so pages (minus the ones set aside for writing out equations, etc) of this book while keeping it on a level that is both common-sensical and CORRECT!
  
  Bravo, Herr Klein. Now please release Volume II!!!
  
  
• Be warned...
  By A3QVVMVHA3VRW3 on 2007-05-17
  I bought another one of the author's titles, from the same publisher, to have something a little smaller to read on the subway rather than pulling out my large textbook. The workable problems and their respective solutions are plagued with errors from beginning to end. I attempted to e-mail and call the author at Johns Hopkins to both bring this to his attention and to attempt to get a corrected solutions set, but to no avail. I feel that posting this is an appropriate warning to students who may actually need to rely on supplemental supplemental material like this to help grasp the material. If his other titles are any indication, I warn you to stay away from this book and seek other material.
  
  
• really good supplement
  By A2BJNV89UL0I2L on 2005-04-07
  I started reading this book at the beginning of 2nd semester. It brought a lot of things together that are crucial 1st sem. concepts that tend to get lost or overcomplicated in the density of textbooks! Only way this book would be better is with a little color, but that's just a personal preference that's always helped me learn.
  Essentially, it lays out really important concepts of orgo in an easy to understand manner with simple practice problems that make applying the concepts to harder problems seem managable. Won't keep you from making silly mistakes on exams (you know what I mean), but WILL help you understand the actual chemistry of what's going on in conceptual and mechanistic probs. your prof. might throw at you, so you can get them correct.
  
  
• A good contingency plan for your university's orgo book.
  By A25PLQ5CL0FCD9 on 2004-07-30
  I actively use this book in conjunction with my professor's orgo text. To make the most out of Dr. Klein's book is to preface the corresponding chapters of your orgo text with those in this one.
  
  
• Wonderful for non-scientific thinkers
  By A1FY7WWTSMWMW3 on 2006-11-18
  I'm not very good at science. The things the instructor and textbook throw at us usually just make me feel foggy. This book cleared away the fog. The writing style is minimal and casual. It just gives you the very basics, at a very basic level. It fills in the gaps that the instructor passes over. I think the thought that I had most often while reading was, "So THAT's how it's done! Why didn't anyone say so?"
  
  The chapter sections are short enough that you don't feel overwhelmed, and every chapter has problems that let you practice the very simple skills that the textbook glosses over. Without these skills, you'll pretty much be lost! It's as though everyone else is composing symphonies, but you don't know anything about music. This book teaches you about notes and rhythm and how you can put them together so that you can create music, too.
  
  
• This book is great especially for getting started
  By A1BYE9P37Y9KVJ on 2007-01-09
  Organic Chemistry is really like a second language. I practiced in this book a few weeks before school started and it helped me tremendously when it came to getting the basics down - drawing skeletal structures, learning resonance (which was sorely lacking in my textbook and in class instruction but necessary to do well), learning how to draw chair conformations, Newman projections and many other important information. If you are a pre-med student like me, this book is a must for getting that extra help you need to get the grade. I got an A with a combination of using this book at the beginning to get the skills down and focusing more on my textbook towards the end of the class. I was in a class full of pre-med students and most did not purchase this book even though it was on the recommended reading list. I watched these same people struggle more in the beginning. One thing I noticed is that in-class instruction time is limited and so the teacher focused on what we needed to know rather than teaching us the skills or know how. This is where this book really makes a difference.
  
  
• Get this book before your class starts
  By A2Z4MTUVGN7SFF on 2006-06-16
  I have tutored o chem, and this book has been a tremendous resource for me. If you are going to take orgo, or even if you are already taking it, this book can help you. If you get through the section on resonance before class starts, you'll be sitting in lecture with your feet up while the rest of the class is saying "huh?".
  
  Also not to be missed is the chapter telling how to determine relative acidity. Know this, and you'll be able to predict a whole lot of reactions without having to do much memorizing.
  
  
• Clear examples and straight-forward
  By A7D6WAD0UQBV7 on 2006-09-14
  This book is terrific. It's paperback and small so you have no excuse not to take it to school every day. Further, it's easy to hide it from your lecturer's eyes when you're bored with the lecture. By no means does the book replace your textbook, but it hones your rudimentary recognition and drawing skills so the rest comes easy.
  
  David Klein writes in a very matter-of-fact, this is what you must know to succeed in o-chem, style and is cognizant of student pitfalls and common misconceptions. The examples every 3-5 pages are a great way to continually test yourself and break the monotony of reading. He provides short examples to illustrate his points but doesn't drone on any topic -- again, you should utilize your text for more information.
  
  I read the 1st 50 pages in class while we reviewed gen-chem from the previous semester (Zzzzzz....) and found the introduction to alkanes and long carbon chains to be a breeze.
  
  This book came highly recommended from a friend of mine and additionally by our current o-chem prof -- and I can vouch as well that this is a must-have if you wish to supplement your text and study efficiently (i.e. do well in the course).
  
  
• 2 stars is pushing it
  By A1S0850OF5QKVD on 2005-10-08
  Although some of the information is helpful there are also numerous topics that the book fails to cover, for instance arenes. Just do your homework and get organic chemistry for dummies if you feel you need a supplement text for the course.
  
  
• Will give you an A!!!
  By A1FR30PD6TLEF9 on 2006-02-19
  I have read the sequel to this (Organic Chemistry II as a Second Language) and can vouch that all the mechanisms are explained indepthly in the second book and all the info on arenes as well. It's an amazing book that has helped me tremendously. This is coming from someone who failed the class once and re-took it. So if you think the 1st book didn't cover some stuff, buy the 2nd one as well. You can't go wrong. EXCELLENT book!!!!!!
  
  
• This "aid" doesn't cover mechanisms. What the hell type of aid is this?
  By A30J0ID3K1XPXR on 2008-05-28
  After reading the other positive reviews that almost make this book out to be a "holy grail" of the sorts, I assumed that this book would be of great help as an aid to my Organic Chemistry I textbook. However, as an aid, it really does a poor job of covering the information.
  
  Klein spends ample amounts of time on Resonance, a concept which isn't too hard to grasp. Yes, it might be challenging for some, but when the course really gets tough (ie. Mechanisms), Klein tells you to "consult your textbook" and provides lots of white space in the book for you to copy down mechanisms and memorize them yourself.
  
  It is this aspect of this "aid" which makes it so frustrating - Klein leaves you hanging in the most difficult part of Organic Chemistry. Quite frankly, I wouldn't waste my time with this book - if you really find yourself struggling with Resonance than you are going to have a lot more problems in organic chemistry than this book can solve.
  
  Mechanisms are the hardest part of Orgo, and this book provides NO help for that besides white textboxes for you to copy them down from your textbook. Don't waste your time and money, if you want a supplement, get one that at least teaches you mechanisms.
  
  I spent $40 for this book that is full of white textboxes for me to copy mechanisms down, I would hope that I can at least save some students from making the same mistake I did.
  
  In all honesty, instead if buying this book, you are better off buying a few cases of beer - stress-busting is a good way to deal with organic chemistry!
  
  
• Great Book
  By A2L08EVR6RCIHB on 2005-07-21
  I got this book to kind of help me see what I was getting into by taking organic and to be guide. It has taught me a lot already and it will be helpful when I start class in the fall. It has exercises that allow you to practice the concepts and presents the new concepts in a visual fashion with pictures and not just text.
  
  
• A well designed O.Chem 'Clif note'
  By A2C32H6RWNW36D on 2005-07-24
  Very informative. Ok for someone who has not yet taken the college Organic Chem course, but better as a means to drive home the points introduced in an Orgo lecture. Well gauged manner of explaning concepts. Easy to read but not 'dumbed down'. A little redundant, but he avoids being insulting. A great tool in aiding the comprehension of the basic concepts. A+
  
  
• This was money well spent
  By A3B3KKPL1KDQWU on 2005-10-17
  I wish I had purchased this book the day I entered the dreaded organic chemistry class. It re-covers stuff that my prof. talks about in lecture and my lecture books covers. I think it really just drives the concepts home. I have an A so far in the class after 2 exams and the class average is a high D so I believe it has helped me a ton! Buy this, you won't regret spending the money (compare it to the cost of the Wade orgo book!).
  
  
• Put in the work and this book is worth every penny
  By A1HGTG5LZITP2E on 2006-07-09
  The first couple of chapters are excellent for getting down the basics (i.e. line drawings, resonance, and electron pushing). The last couple of chapters concentrates on how to think and learn organic chemistry. The method of studying he recommends, especially creating a notebook of reactions, was especially helpful, even more so in Orgo II. Some students may try to use the book as a stand alone crutch and get frustrated, but Klein emphasizes that his book is intended as a supplement and studying tool. Use it that way and you will get the grade you want. I got an A both semesters with the help of this book and the part II sequel book.
  
  
• Excellent books
  By A11DA35RDZ9DHV on 2006-07-28
  This is a great study aid to supplement your organic text book. It takes you by the hand and walks you through some of the most difficult concepts in organic chemistry. I bought this book and the Organic Chemistry II as a Second Language. I didn't understand organic chem when I first took it (about 5 years ago). But now it is really clear and starting to seem somewhat easy. It has given me the confidence to tackle more difficult problems in the text book. Thank you so much Dr. Klein. I wish he taught at my university.
  
  
• Extremely helpful!
  By AFYO3W89JZTAY on 2006-10-12
  I did the chapter on substitution (Sn1 and Sn2) reactions in this book the night before my o-chem test (I wouldn't recommend doing that, by the way). It explained everything so clearly that I only had to do a few practice problems out of the book before I felt pretty confident about doing them. It's helpful that he breaks down the reasons that you're doing the things he's teaching, as opposed to a textbook that gives so many facts you don't know what's what.
  
  I didn't have this book the first 2 weeks of the semester and I really thought that I would fail the course if I didn't get some kind of help...then my friend showed me this book and I did some problems from her's before I bought my own. I've basically learned all of the concepts so far in the course through this book. It doesn't go into great detail, but after mastering the fundamentals, the rest is just practice. It's really helpful also that you can write directly in the book as you practice what he's teaching you. So, with this book and plenty of practice you'll be a pro!
  
  
• Klein's Student
  By ABW81YDPQCOPP on 2004-02-18
  This is a good book for preparing for the mcats or doing well in orgo.
  
  

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