Did a quick search and couldn't find a thread on this in the Nexus. If I missed it, please just point me to the right place.

In order to expand my hobby that started with extractions, I'm giving myself a course in Organic Chemistry through a textbook (Organic Chemistry as a Second Language, by David R. Klein) and Kahn Academy.

Of course, a lab component is needed. So-- are there any organic lab workbooks out there to support a student doing the work at home? Any recommendations?

Thanks!

Also try atkins chemistry. Check out vogels and practice from there.

Thanks, Ice.

Found a very low-cost online site for Vogels Practical Organic Chemistry ( ). It is certainly isn't light reading! But, it is clearly written and certainly comprehensive.

The only piece I am now missing is a set of practical experiments (lab manual?) -- using relatively easy-to-find chemicals. The Vogles gives good examples for each technique, but I don't think they are geared for the enthusiast at home.

http://pdfbit.com/il/ill...ry-experiments-pdf.html

The Link above should have some PDF files that can help you.



-EG

I also recommend PIHKAL and TIHKAL by Alexander shulgin.

-EG

If you're finished with kleins book. Imo the best standard organic chemistry text is Organic Chemistry by clayden hands down. If you can finish that entire book then take every step for randomly selected synthesis in tihkal or pihkal and try work out why shulgin did that step and what the reaction mechanisms are. There's no single step by step way to learn org chem unfortunately.

Ah, perfect! Thank you kindly, sir.

Your very welcome.

Good point. May as well work with the materials I am most interested in. I hadn't even considered the method of learning you outlined. Thank you.

Zubrick's organic chemistry survival guid is great for people who haven't yet begun and will give you a few pointers. Vogel's will come in handy after you've mastered the basics. It's also handy for many DIY reagents.

Sciencemadness.org is a great community for chemistry enthusiasts, make certain you check them out for sure.

Yes to Zubrick and yes to sciencemadness-- I am just starting (last chemistry effort was 30 years ago in an AP class

Some pointers:
1) Obviously before reading any organic textbook some general chemistry knowledge is required...I found "Chemistry - The central science: a broad perspective 2nd ed (Brown Murphy et. al)" to be awesome , it was prescribed in my undergraduate course and actually seems like a book that is not actually often used as the prescribed textbook but it's awesome , it's very comfortable to read and explains basic stuff very well getting straight the point. Make yourself comfortable with concepts regarding equilibrium, conjugate-acid vs. conjugate-base theory , know where concepts like pH, pKa, pKb are derived from.

2) The path most organic chemistry courses take is as follows:
i) Basic addition reactions to alkenes and alkynes
ii) THE most important part of any organic chemistry course is the chemistry of carbonyl compounds (this is where your acid base knowledge gained from the general chemistry text comes in handy in order to predict outcomes) and the carbonyl group is found either as a starting product, intermediate etc. in almost any multi-step synthesis.
iii) Thereafter naturally follows keto-enol carbonyl chemistry (some very important concepts are learned here and it's my favourite part of organic chemistry)
iv) After mastering the ideas behind carbonyl additions, substitutions, eliminations ect. you can learn the more nitty gritty stuff like oxidation/reduction of functional groups, protecting groups and whatever else you might require.

Organic chemistry by mcmurry is also another popular book.


In terms of the practical side of things, as mentioned, no book beats vogels practical organic chemistry book. Another very useful book that illustrates how to set-up glassware, finding the correct solvent and doing tlc plates with some cool experiments is a book called "Experimental Organic Chemistry - standard and microscale by (Hardwoord). Also not a very common book but very useful.

Then finally: http://www.masterorganicchemistry.com , this guy made an awesome site which in the past has helped me so much. Read an article on there each day.

Organic "kitchen chemistry" is a whole other ball game though , For DIY home based experiments the older the source of information you use the better tbh.

Hope this helps! Goodluck with your journey

Great resources, Trippy. Thanks!

I also appreciate the broad outline of what this journey might be like-- it gives me a sense of the amount of time and effort that will be needed to get there. My delusions of mastering the discipline in a year or two are replaced with a sober, yet excited commitment to following the advice I received in this thread for many years of learning and enjoyment.

I would recommend "Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments" for absolute beginners, it covers most of the basics

Watching YT channels like Nile Red, Doug's Lab and NurdRage helped me a lot with understanding the lab practices and different syntheses.

I purchased "Chemistry" from Zumdahl. There are several other excellent textbooks, but this one was discounted at the moment so I grabbed it.

There are also several online chemistry courses on Coursera.org, I tried one and it is fine, though I learn easier from books.

For organic chemistry, Hamilton Morris recommends "Organic Chemistry as a Second Language" (two volumes).

I also gave a shot to "Organic Chemistry" from Jonathan Clayden.

Two other books already recommended here are "Experimental Organic Chemistry" from Philippa B. Cranwell and "Advanced Practical Organic Chemistry" from John Leonard. I got both of these books, read through them and they are EXCELLENT.

For analytical chemistry, namely TLC, I have "Applied Thin-Layer Chromatography" (Wiley).

The Sciencemadness forum is a great place for amateur chemists I often visit.

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