An easier Alternative to Clayden organic chemistry?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the challenges faced by a participant in understanding the initial chapters of Clayden's Organic Chemistry, particularly regarding NMR and Molecular Orbital Theory. The scope includes suggestions for alternative resources and methods for learning organic chemistry, especially for a first-year university student studying nutrition.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses difficulty in grasping the concepts of NMR and Molecular Orbital Theory in Clayden's Organic Chemistry, feeling that the book assumes prior knowledge.
  • The same participant questions whether the challenging explanations will continue throughout the book or if it improves in later chapters.
  • Suggestions for alternative textbooks, such as David Klein's Organic Chemistry and Chemistry³, are proposed as potential resources.
  • Another participant shares a link to a YouTube course that they found helpful for understanding Molecular Orbital Theory, although they do not identify as a chemist.
  • A participant mentions that their previous textbooks were outdated and lacked detail on Molecular Orbital Theory, preferring video courses for their structured approach and ability to multitask.
  • This participant believes that the video courses provide sufficient explanations and demonstrations for understanding the fundamentals of Molecular Orbital Theory, but acknowledges the limitation of not being able to ask questions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying opinions on the effectiveness of different learning resources, with some favoring textbooks and others preferring video courses. There is no consensus on the best approach to understanding the material, and the discussion remains unresolved regarding the adequacy of Clayden's explanations.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note that their previous resources were outdated or insufficient, which may influence their perspectives on the current materials being discussed. The discussion reflects a range of experiences and preferences in learning styles without resolving the effectiveness of any particular resource.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for first-year university students studying chemistry or related fields, particularly those seeking alternative learning resources for organic chemistry concepts.

christian0710
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Hi,
I've red the first 4 chapters in Clayden Organic chemistry, and I got to admit I find the first chapters on NMR and Orbital theory lacking in explanation and figures. I don't feel like i have a clear understanding of the concept after reading these chapters because they seem to assume knowledge and not give direct methods (explaining the logic of how to work out the problems), so I'm wondering, Will it keep being like this the next many chapters? Or is it just the beginning that's a bit rough?

I'm afraid that If i can't understand the molecular Orbital theory, then I won't understand the rest of the book, since bonding is explained from Hybridization and molecular orbital.
I've considered David Kleins Organic chemistry, and perhaps Chemistry³: Introducing Inorganic, Organic, and Physical Chemistry

How do my suggestions sound? Any other suggestions? I'm first year into university studying nutrition but wan't to understand organic chemistry better.
 
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Lok said:
Hi christian,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSYEApgJkh0&list=PL3F629F73640F831D

While I am not a chemist I found these introductory courses quite good to get an idea of where chemistry got to. Molecular Orbital Theory is thoroughly explained with lots of examples.

Thank you. Did you read a textbook for this course? Or do his explanations suffice for understanding his points?
 
The books I've read are outdated by more than 30 years and none of the above mentioned, and while they scratched the surface on MOT they were not detailed about it.

I did try some current PDF versions, none memorable.
Lately I prefer watching courses over books as they are usually better structured and they insist o repeating the recurring stuff everywhere it is needed. And I can listen to them while working on another screen.

And yes the explanations, experiments, physical proofs and demonstrations suffice IMO for understanding the fundamentals of MO. For more you can go back to the textbook and exercise the predictive part of MOT.

I did follow the Courses only until Functional groups (20 or so courses) as the Physics part was more interesting to me than outright chemistry (which I will probably never really use).

I know it is not ideal and you cannot ask questions but it is quite good.
 

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