The book content itself is great. The problem is from the seller, the cover was not "slightly" bent or torn it had been completely ripped in half and then glued back together (though glued together as well as possible considering) also the ACE organic part of the book that I specifically wanted was not included, instead an access code to a different Prentice Hall online tool was what came in the book.

I'm in my second semester of organic chemistry and really struggled the first semester because my prof doesn't ellaborate on anything,likes to keep lectures generalized, and believes it's best that we learn on our own through the book. The $250 book we had to buy for the class is so wordy and poorly organized. We usually have 7-8 chapters on one exam (about every 3-4 weeks) and some of the chapters are 80-100 pages. When I study things I like the text or my notes I get caught up on the little things if it's not neatly/concisely/clearly written. This book is exactly what I love. It uses many colors to perfectly keep things easily readable. I had read hundreds of reviews (I'm not even kidding) about how wonderful Wade's texts are and how he teaches it as if you were a little kid--it's so true. You seriously cannnot read one of his chapters and not understand. I never use my other text anymore even if I know where the info I'm looking for is at. It is seriously one of the best science textbooks I have ever had because of how it's formated. He also has great examples in it that are useful....like ones that are often on our labs and on quizes/exams. The end of the chapter summaries are the best thing too. He literally sums everything up by writing all of the equations so everything is all on a couple of pages. I've photocopied many of the chapter reviews because they're such a concise and clean form of my notes.

This book is nicely written for someone who is not going to be an organic chemist. It is easy to read and understand. One downfall I will mention is that it is so easy to read, students are many times fooled into thinking that they understand the material. But overall, good features including helpful graphics, summaries and examples.

This seems like a well-organized and helpful book. Even more helpful, perhaps, had I opened it for the class...oops.

Students in chemistry, this book is clear and colorful to a better understanding of this though class.

I ordered a used book for my daughter. Even though there were plenty available when I ordered, I received an email about a week later saying that the order was being refunded with no other explanation.

This is one of the finest O-Chem books I've seen! I own other textbooks, but this one does a spectacular job of explaining concepts in detail, and providing useful notes in the margins to avoid common mistakes. It's well-written and well-edited. I strongly recommend getting he full solutions manual with it as well.

So I must admit that this is the book my favorite professor in college used. I also must admit that my favorite professor in college was Skip Wade the author. That said, this is a *very* good book if you're looking to understand the concepts behind orgo. Yes, there's memorizing (for goodness sakes, make flashcards! You can't get around this!). Yes, it's a pain. Yes, you'll find yourself doing 'back attacks' in your sleep. But in the end, this book will beat into you the intuition necessary to continue on in chemistry. And, as an added bonus, Wade throws in some little jokes to give you relief during those all night study sessions. Ah, memories...

-- a current chemistry graduate student (with Wade still on my desk)

the book is pretty good and thorough. i just wish i didnt have to take the class.

I purchased the incorrect item and had to return the item but had no problems with Amazon refunding my purchase amount.

Book was in ok shape, preety fast delivery, thank you. Will buy again

As far as traditional style undergraduate organic textbooks go this is a good one. This book has the advantage of being relatively easy to understand, mechanism based view of organic chemistry, and is a good choice for someone who does not wish to become a synthetic chemist. The blue summary pages at the end of each chapter are especially useful as a quick reference and last minute study guide.

That being said, there are problems about this book that make it only worth purchasing as a required text for a serious chemist. While Wade is good about giving mechanisms for the most part, there are parts, especially later in the book and when metal reagents are used, where these are overlooked, leaving the student to either look up the mechanism elsewhere or simply memorize the reuslt. Another problem with Wade is that he tends intoduce a reaction or set of reactions in one section and then only in a later section discuss the regio- and stereo-selectivity of the reaction, which sometimes leads to difficulty getting the full story.

The book is arranged as a kind of walk through different functional groups synthesis and reactions. This is a common approach and not a poor one, but by the later chapters, most of the chemistry is review, making these chapters overly long and much less useful than they could have been.

A more subtle problem with this text is that it fails to give a student a feel for how laboratory chemistry really works. Reaction examples never have yields, diastereomer ratios, or enantiomeric excesses listed. Many reactions are not a selective as they appear in this text and does not give students a respect for selecting the best reactions for a given synthesis.

In summary, reading this book you will certainly understand organic chemistry and be sufficiently equipped to think about the subject. However, for a serious chemist, this is not the best choice. A more in depth and complete book such as that by Clayden and Geleeves would be a better choice.

Now I do BMedSc which means I dont have all the time nor the patience to study loathsome texts that are both pedantic and verbose. I am majoring in three streams of chemistry each valid in its own right (Organic synthesis, Biochemical pathways, Analytical/Physical chemistry). So basically I have limited cash to through around buying books and at that have limited time to study the books I get. There is only so much a person can ingest academically without obliterating their sanity and social life. Wade has made life easy for me because it censors itself from all the crap that you really dont want to face in Organic chemistry and saves them for the later chapters. By then you would have established yourself from the earlier chapters and will find it easier to tackle reactions, reaction mechanisms, molecular protocols and this nonsense they call spectroscopy.

The ups of this book are:

It isnt too introductory or too complex so it teaches you all that you need and also will serve as a reference later on.

It has a fine balance of complex problems and explanations to back everything up.

It has appropriate graphics and very well summarized at the end of chapters.

I personally suggest that March's Advanced Organic chemistry is a pretty good buy along side this book. That way you dont have a large bulky text you have to carry all the time. You can consult either of the two depending on what it is you are looking for. Now if you want to really save money are too tight then get Organic Chemistry by Nick Greeves et al is pretty good a book, cheap and well done overall; very robust. But I have my standing with this. I personally own three organic text series that I covet:

This, obviously.

March's Advanced Organic chemistry.

The third is an absolute secret lol, well its Vogel's practical organic chemistry.

March's does a real good job on reactions and mechanisms, so after your done understanding primary concepts through wade you'd just be carrying March's. The last, Vogel's is pretty advanced stuff and is (like the name suggests) very practical. It goes in depth with experimental procedure and theory of experimental procedure; overall this book starts and undergrad and helps you all the way till you start working.

Many people enter an organic chemistry course with incredible trepidation, but Wade's book is incredibly clear and helpful. Instead of encouraging rote memorization of reaction mechanisms and synthetic pathways, he develops a small number of core principles from which most of the more advanced topics may be built. The solved example problems in the text are very helpful, and the end-of-chapter problems are well-chosen. I had the good fortune of taking organic from a truly superb professor, but I think that even autodidacts could learn a great deal from this book. Any criticisms I have of this text are very minor (e.g. I would have preferred it if the mechanism for chromic acid oxidation had been given), and it makes the subject both interesting and genuinely enjoyable.

The author has done an excellent job presenting the material in this textbook. The use of colored text and invaluable illustrations really make the lessons clear. There is no need to highlight or make side notes (something I often do) because the text is organized so well. The problems at the end of every section make you focus on what the author is trying to convey. By doing these problems religiously organic chemistry is easier to understand and can actually be fun (well, relatively at least).

Note: I recommend getting a really cheap used 4th edition solutions manual to go with the 5th edition book. There are very few differences and it is VERY helpful in terms of understanding where you're going astray with those end-of-section problems. This manual contains helpful explanations, not just answers to problems.

Overall "Organic Chemistry 5th Edition" is one of the best scientific textbooks I have ever seen.

This textbook is excellent. It makes organic chemistry much easier. The illustrations are great. The book goes step by step, so you don't get lost.

You should read the chapters in order. The concepts and terminology build up from previous chapters and you'll be lost without them. Unfortunately, all the teachers I've had jump around a lot. The most important chapter in this regard is chapter 6. You won't know what the book is talking about in later chapters without reading this one. The earlier chapters are just as important to read, but instructors tend to not skip them as often.

Also, the solutions manual could be better. It sometimes gives no information about how the answer was solved.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. It is much better than any other organic chemistry book I've ever read.

I began self-studying organic chemistry several months ago using two textbooks along with the accompanying solutions manuals which I had selected because they were being used by two local colleges.
A couple of months ago I read the reveiws about Wade's textbook and Simek's accompanying solutions manual in this space and decided to give them a try. In my opinion, both books are far superior to the books I started with.
I strongly disagree with the reviewer who wrote that the line drawings make the solutions manual hard to follow.

L.G. "Skip" Wade has done an exceptional job at writing a textbook in probably the most merciless field of human endeavor. First, the physical aspect of the book is worth noting; the illustration is pleasant yet remain faithful to the scientific accuracy it wishes to convey. The glossy paper is sturdy, preventing the frequent mishaps of tear and wear so common to the undergraduate life.

Wade does not condescend as an author (a particular attribute that probably increases the likeability of an author/professor) ; he matter-of-factly admits to having made a "C" on his second organic test, a testament to the difficulty of the subject. He acknowledges the difficulty of organic chemistry, he concurs to the fact that memorization is indeed required, yet he offers the comforting assurance that organic chemistry is indeed the logical subject it has always been touted to be, as evidenced by the structured organization of the book.

The book begins with a review of general chemistry (Lewis structure, acids and bases, molecular orbitals, and the like) and sets to introduce briefly the electron-pushing principle so fundamental to organic chemistry. Alkane is covered next, introducing the concept of conformational analysis, polarity, intermolecular forces, and general introduction the other functional groups. The next chapter is on the study of chemical reactions, followed by stereochemistry (perhaps the hardest chapter). Maybe it is safe to suggest that the most logical part (fundamental principles) of organic chemistry resides in these first five chapters, while the dreadful memorization will soon ensue.

Chapter 6 onwards introduces the major functional groups (alkyl halides, alkene, alcohols, alkynes), where the general trend is to present the nomenclature, the uses, the synthesis, and the mechanism; in that order. Accompanying summary of informations so essential to the "memorization" is found at the end of every chapter.The underlying principles common to all field of organic chemistry are exemplified in the illustrative reactions of the functional groups.

Spectroscopy are introduced in Chapters 12 and 13, and the chapters following them are devoted to introduce the remaining major functional groups with knowledge of spectroscopy already presented. Chapters 23, 24, and 25 discuss the organic compounds of particular interest to the biologically-orientated, while Chapter 26 concludes the book with a survey of synthetic polymer.

The most striking characterictics of the book are probably its problem solving hints, problem-solving strategies and essential problem-solving skills boxes. It almost seemed as though Wade was right in front of you showing you where to push that lazy electrons; patient and reminding. The solved problems are also very illustrative. An accompanying solution manual should perfectly complement your journey into the wonderful world of organic chemistry!

Over the years, I have seen a great many Organic Chemistry books, none as thourough and easy to understand as Wade's. From a student's point of view it is great that you only need to read it once and understand everything without reviewing one chapter multiple times. If it talks about a mechanism, it usually also gives all the steps. With some books you actually need to look up half of the mechanisms in other books.

I took this course from the author at Whitman. This book saved me tons of sleep because the book alone can teach the entire scope of first year organic chemistry by itself. I've seen other books, and none are as simple yet profound as this one.

This solutions manual is very useful with the textbook. My only complaint is that it often gives the answers using line formulas, while the text tells you to always write the problems out completely. At times, this makes it difficult to tell if your answer is correct.

L.G. Wade has again come out with an excellent treatment of one of the most dreaded and difficult topics. His latest edition is appropriate for any upper level undergraduate class, and perhaps for some graduate courses depending on particular cirriculums. The workbook reader is a must to compliment the textbook.

This book was so helpful that it helped me get A's on my tests instead of the C's I've been used to getting.

This book was great. Each chapter ended with a nice table summary which could be used as a handy reference if copied.

I got a C the first semester of Organic Chemistry. Lectures didn't help me much, neither did the course book. Fortunately, I picked this book up in the library and I got an A in the class the next semester, and I only showed up for lecture to know what was going to be on the exam.

I always recommend this book to any orgo student. This book, along with another classic, Morrison and Boyd.

Good luck students.

-Godfrey Degamo,

I remember reading the first edition of this book back in 1987, and my opinion of it didn't change much with this edition. The author does an exceptional job of introducing the concepts of organic chemistry in the first 15 chapters, although the stereochemistry chapter could be expanded 2-fold. Some of the explanations and descriptions in these chapters are better than anything else I've seen published. However, in the second half of the book, the complicated reactions and spatial requirements of aromatics, ketones, aldehydes, amines, etc., are listed more than explained. This is likely due to a combination of factors, the main one being that there is too much material to cover in a manner that does it justice. However, for a student who is taking the course, it must be offsetting to be going through the book, getting a good understanding of organic chemistry, then get hit with essentially a different book in the second semester of the course.

Since I am reading the text just to update my skills, I flipped through the second half of the book. For you all who have to take the course, good luck! {Actually, for practicing synthetic organic chemists, the material is necessary, but for more biologically-oriented scientists such as myself half the material is off-focus.}

Skip Wade did a very good job in explaining Organic Chemistry concepts. Glossary and problem sets put in the end of each chapters are very good .They really help you understand the concept more. I recommend you to also buy the Solution Manual.

I usually find it very hard to understand chem books, however, this book explains very well and has a lot visuals.