Top Five Books To Help You Master Organic Chemistry

Millions of college students struggle each year with organic chemistry. The class is required for nearly all science majors, including pre-medicine, pre-pharmacy, pre-dental, biology, and of course, chemistry. I too struggled with it, but luckily my amigos and I got through it with the help of some supplemental texts we ordered!

Why Get An Organic Chemistry Study Guide?

Well the answer is really quite simple. Sometimes the professor fails to explain the material well enough, and a busy college student just doesn't have the time to absorb so much knowledge without any aid!!!  That is why I've compiled this list of the best organic chemistry books and learning resources to help you master this challenging course!

So without further ado, here are the...

Top Five Books To Help You Learn Organic Chemistry

Pushing Electrons is the recommended supplement to learning the complex methods behind the subject. This book will take you through the basics of drawing organic structures: it will explain the steps behind chair flipping (aka cyclohexane conformations) and help you understand how electrons move through resonance structures.

Organic Chemistry as a Second Language breaks the subject up into key principles and explains them in language that "makes perfect sense."  The book also includes tips on studying more effectively and efficiently, and even provides tips for getting better grades on your next test.

Smith's textbook is one of the clearest and well written texts on the market. It has received raving reviews from bost customers on Amazon, and students in my very class. Smith provided great diagrams and lucid explanations that were incredibly helpful in explaining our professor's muddled and confusing lectures.

This book is very similar to the first, but it's a little different.  Like Pushing Electrons, Arrow-Pushing deals with resonance structures, chair conformations, and the like and it includes example problems as well.  But what is really helpful, are the many solved examples that Dr. Levy provides.  These example problems should give you an idea what to expect on your tests and quizzes, and with enough practice, you should see an improvement in your grades!

Yeah I know that this isn't a book or a study guide, but a molecular modeling kit really comes in handy when trying to learn complex organic structures, such as chair conformations.  While reading a text, a student can build and manipulate the molecular structures with their hands.  For many it is much easier to visualize a complex 3-D structure with models than it is with some 2-D drawings on paper.