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Chemistry Forums for Students => Organic Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: Melita on April 05, 2021, 11:02:56 AM

Title: Any recommendations on learning the basics of organic chemistry?
Post by: Melita on April 05, 2021, 11:02:56 AM

I'm a mechanical engineer who's currently working on a project that is largely based in organic chemistry. I have no chemistry background, none. I know nothing about it, I cannot stress this enough. I'm looking for some textbook or something that teaches org. chemistry from a very basic level.

Any help is much appreciated.

P.S. - the project is focused on plastics if that makes any difference.

Title: Re: Any recommendations on learning the basics of organic chemistry?
Post by: Borek on April 05, 2021, 11:22:26 AM

This is tough. If you have no background in general chemistry, reading any beginners organic chemistry textbook you will feel like someone reading how to find optimal support point, but not knowing what the differential and integral are. (Perhaps not the best analogy, but you should get the idea).

So, if anything, you may need a textbook that introduces both organic chemistry and general chemistry at the same time. No idea, if such textbook exist, all I know combine general and inorganic.

Title: Re: Any recommendations on learning the basics of organic chemistry?
Post by: sjb on April 05, 2021, 12:11:26 PM

What is the nature of the project? Perhaps something like Hill and Holman (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chemistry-Context-Fifth-Graham-Hill/dp/0174482760 - I know this is an old edition, but may suit anyway) will help?

Title: Re: Any recommendations on learning the basics of organic chemistry?
Post by: Meter on April 06, 2021, 08:39:41 AM

The entire first year of uni is spent learning the basics, and believe me, you won't be slacking either. I don't know what your particular set of skills are, but if you work overtime, you can speed through a general chemistry curriculum, focusing on parts that are relevant to your work and then using any undergraduate O-chem textbook (Bruice is nice, especially since it explains some gen chem principles as well).

Title: Re: Any recommendations on learning the basics of organic chemistry?
Post by: hollytara on April 10, 2021, 01:38:48 PM

Two recommendations -

There are a few textbooks for 1 semester organic chemistry classes - I used on by Brown but it was decades ago.  Usually "Introduction to Organic Chemistry" is the title.

There is a book (you can also get an ebook version for under $10) by Jakob Fredlos on Amazon - not really a textbook, but it is pretty useful for translating O chem into English.