The modeling kit is a great aid in my organic chemistry class. I actually enjoy assembling molecules and assessing their conformations! Compared to other model sets that I've seen, the Prentice Hall kit has the highest quality, hands down. And the little atoms are actually spherical. My university's book store sells modeling kits for almost the same price, but all of the pieces are sticks! This is a fun and easy way to practice visualizing molecules and their stereoisomers. I highly recommend this set.

The product was all new, no pieces missing, so basically what i asked for. A little pricey, but worth the money for what it offers

This produce is exactly what I thought it would be. I had one of these before and lost it, so I purchase another one from Amazon. It arrived expediently, and in perfect shape. I'd recommend this set to anyone taking College Inorganic or Organic Chemistry.

This produce is exactly what I thought it would be. I had one of these before and lost it, so I purchase another one from Amazon. It arrived expediently, and in perfect shape. I'd recommend this set to anyone taking College Inorganic or Organic Chemistry.

Kit came brand new in shrink wrap. Delivery was not as quick as I would have liked it to be but was within the grace period for delivery. Overall, I am quite satisfied.

Kit came brand new in shrink wrap. Delivery was not as quick as I would have liked it to be but was within the grace period for delivery. Overall, I am quite satisfied.

I bought this for my O Chem class as this was one of the required materials in the class and I'm glad I bought it. It definitely helps me in class when trying to visualize the bonds and clarify some things when confused. I would definitely recommend this to anyone taking O chem (not much for gen chem though). The only bad thing that i found was that its kinda tight to put on the bonds and to break them (although it comes with a bond breaking tool), but other than that its great!

I use this set for my Organic Chemistry class at college and have found it to be a great tool to further my understanding of atomic structure. I would recommend it for anyone who is a hands-on learner.

I needed this for an organic chemistry class, but wanted the set to play with too. Amazon had a better price than the bookstore, and it qualified for the super saver shipping since the kit is distributed by a publishing house.
The connectors are sometimes hard to get apart once you have constructed a molecule, but there is a handy tool to help.
The molecules and connectors are made from a good quality, dense plastic and stand up to some stretching and bending. The booklet that comes with the set is also a helpful in trying to explain some of the basics of organic chemistry.

I was all in all very satisfied. The product was in perfect condition when arrived and accurate in description. Shipping was fairly timely. Very good!

If you are having trouble mentally visualizing how organic molecules' mechanisms work, this will be a valuable tool to have. However, if you are doing fine just visualizing it in your head, then i suggest you just skip this kit.

This product was a good buy but it could have had a few extra pieces to make longer chains of molecules. It also had too few carbon molecules beads which is the back bone of many molecules.

This is a kind of awkward model set. It does what its supposed to but the length of the plastic bonds is hard to differentiate to tell between the different types of bonds. Also, I did not find it that helpful to studying like I thought it would be. I would say save your money and buy study guides with gobs and gobs of practice problems.

This set is necessary for anyone tyring to learn chemistry from either the General Chem or Organic Chem course level. Modeling makes the molecules much easier to visualize when determining how to bond the molecules together, various ways of rotating the bonds and naming the molecules. This is a must have!!!

A simple organic chemistry model was suggested by my Organic Chem professor especially to help with the chapter on Stereochemistry. I had hoped to find something a little less expensive. It was ~$38 for this set at the time of purchase, but it has been worth every penny. The set stays together well. It is compact and light, so it fits right in the front pocket of my backpack. I used it along with my last exam and I got a 92 on the exam. Several people missed the questions related to (R) and (S) configurations but with the model in front of me, it was a breeze. Definitely recommended. As a bonus, my fiance has even had fun making the models with me - he has been a wee bit more interested in what I am learning in class!!! :) ><{{{(*>

The set is extreamly useful. The only problem I have with it is the "bonds" fit a little too snuggly and are often difficult to pull out. Very good very well made model set with a useful instruction booklet to go along with it.

This is a decent molecular model building tool, though there are better available, depending on your needs. The large pieces are handy and easy to hold, and obviously made of quality plastic. You are not likely to lose many pieces since they are big enough to get noticed. The color is vibrant, and the long bonds are flexible should you need to represent double-bonding. The kit also provides the ability to represent space-filling models. However, the kit's utility is lacking when compared to other sets. Taking the model apart is cumbersome as the pieces fit together very tightly, and if you're doing so in a class or during a test, the loud popping sound can be disruptive. The slowness of model disassembly is also problematic and frustrating if you are comparing or forming different chiral bond configurations, or working in timed circumstances. The models also do not form various molecular configurations very well, such as cyclohexane conformers. It is difficult to form and manipulate the chair and boat conformers to the proper orientation, and difficult to see the bond relationships should you manage to arrange the bonds in an adequate configuration. Overall, the structures look good once they are built, but the poor utility of the kit decreases its value. I would recommend this kit if all you need is a molecular model that will look good, and won't be doing much bond manipulation. If you need to build models quickly and efficiently, however, I would recommend an HGS kit since they are much easier to manipulate and see bond relationships, though they are admittedly not as pretty.

There's plenty of atoms (both in number and variety) and plenty of bonds. This kits allows you to rotate atoms about the bonds (great for exploring the different conformations of compounds (anti, gauche, ellisped stuff) and converting between chair conformations of cyclohexane. My only complaint is that the bonds are sort of hard to insert into (and remove from) atoms. You really have to push/pull hard - sort of time consuming to build molecules. Sturdy kit, though. Good value and fun to play with.

I haven't had so much fun building things since I had Tinker Toys and Legos. This kit is great. The only thing that I would say is it would be great if there were more atoms included in it. It's not the greatest at showing the boat and chair modles for cyclohexane but it's better than nothing. I'm passes O-Chem because of these things.

These models are great for visualizing the way molecules are put together and they seem quite sturdy. But they can be very hard to snap together and pull apart, making building larger molecules a bit frustrating. Also, for as much as this cost I would have liked to get more of each type of atom.

I haven't used the set too terribly much yet, but so far its been great. It could have a few more atoms but its got the base for organic chem and is really easy to use. It comes with different sized/colored spacer for bonds and has a handy bond remover tool as well. I highly recommend this set, its been great so far!

Really useful for trying to figure out resonance structures. For everybody who's a kinesthetic learner this is a extremely helpful study tool, and it's kinda neat to build molecules just to see what they look like.

As a professor of Organic Chemistry I think that this models are good in a few regards:

* They do a very nice job of accurately showing conformation and shape of molecules
* They are very easy to put together and pull apart
* The construction is very well done

However, with this set of models it is nearly impossible to easily demonstrate cyclohexane ring flips. Short of breaking bonds and re-arranging atoms there isn't a good way to show the transformation from a chair arrangement to a boat back to the other chair arrangement. Thus, I prefer and recommend Hgs Molecular Structure Models: Organic Chemistry. The Hgs models are of solid construction and very easy to see ring flips and conformations. The only downside to those models is that they are more difficult to pull apart. But I would rather it be harder to pull apart and easier to see the chemistry. The other nice thing about the Hgs models is that you can get the 100 Fundamental Organic set from Aldrich for only $20. This set has less atoms and bonds, but still has enough for most molecules in an introductory organic class. At bulk you can get them for $17 each + shipping and handling. For class orders this is an inexpensive option for students and allows them to have their own model set.

Like any model set, neither can represent triple bonds, but to my knowledge there are very few model kits that can.

Helps you see the 3D picture up and close. Gets you more comfortable with mechanisms etc.

It might just be because I like chemistry, but I really liked playing with this model set.

If you are going to buy any type of Organic Chem Model set this would be the one. This set is used at most of the colleges and gives you a better overall view of the chemical chains that you will be studying.

If you are going to buy any type of Organic Chem Model set this would be the one. This set is used at most of the colleges and gives you a better overall view of the chemical chains that you will be studying.

This product is very helpful for visualization of 3D molecules for stereochemistry, Newman projections, Fisher projections, chirality, etc. I highly recommend it especially if you are building small molecules. This product is a pretty decent deal compared to other places that I looked at to compare prices.

This product is very helpful for visualization of 3D molecules for stereochemistry, Newman projections, Fisher projections, chirality, etc. I highly recommend it especially if you are building small molecules. This product is a pretty decent deal compared to other places that I looked at to compare prices.

The kit is kind of hard to take apart and was clumsy in a test, but the different colors really help and are kind of fun to work with for homework or killing time in class.

This is a fantastic model set- but it's expensive, with too few atoms. Given that the set is made out of plastic, why not triple the parts at the same price?

This is a fantastic model set- but it's expensive, with too few atoms. Given that the set is made out of plastic, why not triple the parts at the same price?

This set is superior to others I have used because it "snaps" together, eliminating atoms or bonds falling off when the model is moved around. Some of the less expensive products that I have tried left me frustrated as they are not as stable. Models are very helpful in my organic class in visualizing structures, and I know that using them has improved my organic grade.

This set is superior to others I have used because it "snaps" together, eliminating atoms or bonds falling off when the model is moved around. Some of the less expensive products that I have tried left me frustrated as they are not as stable. Models are very helpful in my organic class in visualizing structures, and I know that using them has improved my organic grade.

This works well for the beginning organic chemistry student ... but as soon as you get into more complicated molecules and have to start looking at hexane conformations (chairs, boats, etc) the short bond lengths start getting hard to deal with. The Molecular Visions Darling Model set is both cheaper and easier to work with.

This model kit is very helpful for anyone going into organic chemistry or for anyone that is a hands on visual learner. I have used other model kits before and this one has been the most helpful by far. Unlike with other kits, this one comes complete with indiviual carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and halide atoms. Each atom is distinctally marked and is there to see. With other kits the presents of certain atoms is left to the imagination of the individual. I would highly recomend this product to anyone looking for a good kit whether you are just beginning chemistry or are a seasoned veteran to the feild.

I bought this kit when I was a college sophomore about 14 years ago (gasp!). And yes, it was precisely the same product being sold here today. I'm not entirely sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, since there doesn't seem to have been any improvements - but hey, if it ain't broke, right?

After forgetting about it for many years, I recently found it again in a box in the attic and was thrilled to discover I hadn't lost it, or given it away, or burned it with all the rest of my school things. I had always got a huge kick out of playing with it in school, and of course, I started playing with it again immediately! Gotta admit, it's hard to put down - kinda like catnip for nerds, which I guess makes me one.

Memory Lane aside, it's a solid little set, and includes the following pieces:

28 Hydrogen (white)
14 Carbon (black)
8 Oxygen (red)
8 Chlorine (green)
4 Nitrogen (blue)
2 Bromine (orange)
2 Iodine (purple)
40 Single bonds (space-fill)
40 Single bonds (open)
12 Double bonds (open)

Of course, some of the pieces above can be used in a pinch to represent atoms that aren't listed, but I rarely (if ever? *scratch head*) found that necessary in my basic chem classes. Overall, it was an excellent tool, and well worth the somewhat inflated price. I can remember buying many a text book that cost many times more - few of which proved as helpful as this kit, and none of which were as entertaining.

If I had to cite a negative, I'd have to admit they were a bit stingy with the carbon molecules - and sadly, the only other pieces that rival carbon's chiral-yumminess are the nitrogens, which are also in short supply. Besides, your molecule looks stupid with bunch of blue nitrogens pretending to be carbons - and who wants a stupid-looking molecule when your trying to be all brainy and stuff!? Consequently, I couldn't quite make some hydrocarbons of medium complexity, including my very most favorite molecule of all time! ...which shall here remain nameless.

However, this is all easily remedied! And in a way, that's what brought me to this page on Amazon to begin with. After all these years I'm going to buy another set just for fun! HA! With two of these babies, I'll be able to make almost ANYTHING. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Works great and is useful but very expensive for what you get. Hopefully the disposalable pen market won't go with these prices or they'd be about $10.00 each :) lol

For a non-specialist like me, it's a bit daunting to try to develop intuition about how simple molecules are put together. It really helps to have a physical model, especially for subtle ideas like multiple stereocenters and 3D structures. This kit is a great way to help visualize and understand simple chemical systems.

It comes with 14 carbon "atoms", 4-holed black beads, and a collection of others: 2-holed oxygen, 3-holed nitrogen, and 1-holed hydrogen and halogens, all color-coded. The number of holes represents the typical valence of each atom type, but you can assign any meaning you want to the color code. Two kinds of connecting "bonds" plug into the beads: long flexible ones for stick models, and short ones that place the atoms butt up against each other for space-filling models.

The pieces snap together snugly, so the assembled models can stand a bit of rough handling. Someone with weak fingers might have a tough time pulling them apart, though. There are enough pieces to make lots of different models: sugars, amino acids, and other small, biologically important bits. I could ask for beads representing phosporus (needed for DNA) and sulfur (for aome amino acids), and there's always reason to want more of everything. Still, this is fine as a beginner's kit. And, as a desk toy, it lets you look like you're doing real work.

//wiredweird

work well for organic chemistry but not very well for picking up chicks

Get 2 though, larger molecules (over 14 carbons) cannot be made with this set alone, so if your getting into some more advanced organic chemistry you might wanna pick up 2.

This model really helps with visualizing complex organic molecules and dedermining their structures, bonds and dynamic. This is a great way of making organic Chemistry more fun and more understandable. I would even recommend it for children who have problems with basic Chemistry. If you are not understanding structures from just reading the book, you will love this model kit!

This product is exactly as I expected. It is helpful with modeling for organic chemistry.

Not the best but certainly not bad. Ring flips are not nearly as difficult as other reviewers would like you to believe. These models are a little difficult to take apart but I would not rather them fall apart while working with them.

I seriously hate this model! it was soooooooooo hard to remove the pieces that i had to do it with my teeth! GOd i hate this! Its realistic but hard to work with.

A lot of people have complained that it's difficult to rotate the bonds with this model kit. I've found that if you put a some baby oil on the bond connectors with a cotton swab before you assemble your model, the bonds move smoothly and are much easier to take apart.

Looking at some of the "3D" chemical structures shown in Oraganic Chemistry Books can be really tiresome, and confuseing. Model kits rock for trying to visualize these structures. Also helps a lot when trying to figure out ring flips!!

This kit will only be useful for a limited range of structures. The most frustrating thing was trying to manipulate a C6 ring. Boat? Fugghedaboudit. And as for structures with bond angles that stray from ideal, good luck. However, if you are taking a course that does not go into too much depth with organic, this kit could be a nice (albeit expensive) accessory.

It has plenty of pieces. But no balls designated specifically as fluorines. They don't make very good models for chair or boat configurations.

The model set is good in size and very helpful as a visual learning tool. However, it is hard to put together and take apart.