Jerry March, Advanced Organic Chemistry

[Titan97]

I just bought this book: March's Advanced Organic Chemistry: Reactions, Mechanisms, and Structure
(link: https://books.google.co.in/books/about/March_s_Advanced_Organic_Chemistry.html?id=JDR-nZpojeEC&hl=en)
But I found that it starts with complex reactions and contains lots of NMR spectra concepts which I don't require.(But I liked the way the chapters are organized and its mechanistic approach) I'm in high school. Should I read a basic organic chemistry textbook before going for Jerry March?

 

[bacte2013]

Hello! Jerry March's book is not suitable for a first introduction to the organic chemistry. That book, along with two-volume series by Carey, is usually served as a reference and as a next-level organic chemistry book for the advanced undergraduates. However, following two books are very good introduction to organic chemistry, and based on the mechanistic approach. After reading either of them, you can jump directly into March or Carey.

Clayden's Organic Chemistry, 2nd edition
Hornback's Organic Cnemistry, 2nd edition

 

[Titan97]

I have an organic chemistry book by "T.W. Graham Solomons and Craig B. Fryhle".

 

[bacte2013]

I have an organic chemistry book by "T.W. Graham Solomons and Craig B. Fryhle".

I am aware of the book you mentioned, but Solomons/Fryhle is not really a good book to learn the organic chemistry as it heavily focused on the functional group, which is not a good way to learn the organic chemistry as that approach relies more on the memorization rather than the reasoning. The mechanistic approach to organic chemistry is very effective since it emphasizes the use of basic mechanisms to deduce and expand the complex organic reactions, rather than depending on countless information about the functional groups and their variations.

That said, I strongly recommend Clayden, Hornback, or Karty. Those books emphasize the mechanistic approach to organic chemistry. Of course, you can still use Solomons/Fryhle and get the decent understanding of organic chemistry, but I do not personally recommend that approach.

 

[bacte2013]

By the way, are you preparing for the Chemistry Olympiad?

 

[Titan97]

No. When I got to know about Olympiads, it was too late. But I am preparing for an exam which also has challenging problems from physics, chemistry and maths. (Not as difficult as the olympiads)

 

[bacte2013]

I see. I just went through the books I recommended, and Clayden book will be something of your interest. It starts out with the clear overview of functional groups and then build the organic chemistry from mechanistic approach. Hornback is another outstanding book sharing same philosophy as Clayden, but the current price is outrageous...

I do not know about the exam you are currently preparing, but following chemistry books might be of your interest:

"Principles of Modern Chemistry, 7th edition" by Oxtoby
"Chemical Principles: the Quest for Insight" by Atkins

Both books are very challenging and mathematically-oriented, and they have a strong physical chemistry flavor. They are often used by students preparing for the intense competition like Chemistry Olympiad.

 

[bacte2013]

I am very happy to meet someone like you, interested in the chemistry. I was a former microbiology and chemistry double majors before switching to the mathematics, and chemistry is still very interesting to me (particularly the analytical chemistry).