Product Description

A classic textbook on mechanistic organic chemistry which is characterised particularly by its clarity, careful choice of examples and its general approach that is designed to lead to a ready understanding of the subject matter. This guidebook is aimed clearly at the needs of the student, with a thorough understanding of, and provision for, the potential conceptual difficulties he or she is likely to encounter.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #92507 in Books
• Published on: 1986-06-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Customer Reviews

NOT a list of reactions but USEFUL for your WHOLE degree!!!
This is considered a classic. I know some chemists who can recite this book. They swear by it. This book is not a textbook that will teach you lots of organic reactions but it's very good for telling you about organic reaction mechanims. Since it gives examples (although simple ones) to demonstrate ideas, you pick up more than you've bargained for. It's good as a reference text and excellent for things like the primary kinetic isotope effect and all the Hammet equation stuff you're bound to have to learn at some point during your degree. Also it has the advantage of not being too huge and colossal like some text books I know. All in all it's VERY worth getting if you're doing a chemistry degree (and beyond) but the price seems unfair. I'd get it used if I was getting it again. Thinking about it, I think getting textbooks used is a good idea all round. But as far as this book is concerned, it's all top notch stuff.

Worth the money, get it 2nd hand if you can
Undergraduate text books in chemistry are expensive. Get them 2nd hand if you can.

Sykes' book is a classic in the organic chemisty world and is a sound investement for the chemistry undergraduate. It's not an encyclopedia of all organic reactions, but it will do for all the basics, mechanisms, solid discussion, and will come in handy for learning all that physical organic chemistry you're bound to encounter.

It's also quite small and convenient to pick up, unlike those bulky American textbooks! In fact I think it's an American legal requirement for their textbooks to weigh more than a standard issue anvil. Probably why they all need SUVs with 18L engines.

Anyway, if you're going to do a chemistry degree in the UK, get Sykes' book and Clayden, Greeves, Warren & Wothers' "Organic Chemistry" (consider getting the problems and answers book for that too, if you can afford it all).

the organic chemistry bible
as a chemistry undergraduate in the eighties this book opened up my mind to the wonders and beauty of organic chemistry. it is compact and therefore can be read quickly but its strength lies in the author's ability to convey what at first seem complex concepts into simple yet fantastic answers. I would recommend this book to any undergraduate student of chemistry. It is a titanic of a book. Andy Evans BSc MBChB FRCA