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Organic Chemistry: Structure and Function

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With authors who are both accomplished researchers and educators, Vollhardt and Schore's Organic Chemistry takes a functional group approach with a heavy emphasis on understanding how the structure of a molecule determines how that molecule will function in chemical reactions. By understanding the connection between structure and function, students will be better prepared to understand mechanisms and solve practical problems in organic chemistry. The new edition brings in the latest research breakthroughs and applications, expanded problem-solving help, and new online homework options.

1344 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1987

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253 people want to read

About the author

K. Peter C. Vollhardt

55 books1 follower

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5 stars
45 (24%)
4 stars
57 (31%)
3 stars
36 (19%)
2 stars
20 (11%)
1 star
23 (12%)
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Profile Image for Jana.
2 reviews
July 19, 2018
This book makes people cry.
Profile Image for Colm Slevin.
153 reviews2 followers
December 2, 2022
Great ending, awful start. I liked when the molecules kissed
Profile Image for lili.
162 reviews4 followers
February 7, 2024
both the content and the author made me cry. peter as a human being is very mean and very rude. i came to his office hours about a question i got wrong on an exam asking why i got it wrong. he responded “it’s so clearly wrong. why would you think this is correct?”
this was freshman year of college in a zoom room with 10 other people in it
21 reviews6 followers
February 8, 2017
i don't think i love anything more than packing this ten pounds around with me. this book gets to go everywhere with me: school, my desk at home, my desk at work, all over muni, out for bike rides, cafes in my neighborhood, quality snuggle time in bed...the list goes on. i'm really getting my $150 worth out of it, you should too.

i really <3 peter vollhardt.
Profile Image for Nicholas Harrison.
3 reviews
November 1, 2012
Part of my soul remains with this text. Perhaps the only text-book I've ever read almost entirely cover-to-cover.
Profile Image for Johannes.
13 reviews
June 19, 2025
The book is honestly really useful. I dont know if thats typical for chemistry books in general, but I liked, that there were a lot of test problems you could (try to xD) solve and then check the solutions later. The book gives a broad overview on organic chemistry…at least for Pharmacists/medicinal Chemists. I personally would have liked it if there was some sort of summary of important named reactions and their products or whatnot. This way, I felt like it was sometimes a bit difficult to find, what exactly you are looking for. But nonetheless, A good book. The first textbook I ever read for academic purposes, so I might feel a little sentimental about it…but then, when I remember how much stuff there is you have to learn…probably not xD. I would definitely recommend the book for medicina chemists/pharmacists, but dont know how well its applicable to general chemistry.
2 reviews
February 19, 2018
This book does cover the majority of material required of an undergraduate organic chemistry student; deciphering that material, however, may prove a challenge for students lacking in attention and/or discipline. Organic chemistry, while fun once well understood, is a slog to learn, and this book does little to engage the unenthused reader.

Readers looking for a text with focus on concision and conceptual understanding ought to look elsewhere. Otherwise, this is a well organized book with plenty of specific examples and background review. Most students can succeed with this book (and a modicum of patience) in virtually any undergraduate organic chemistry curriculum.

Strong 3/5
Profile Image for Heidi Huang.
10 reviews2 followers
May 1, 2024
The book - The textbook is clear and concise. It excels in explaining fundamental concepts, but its simplicity is a double-edged sword: many examples and mechanisms are simplified or omitted, limiting exposure to a broader range of reactions. The ebook/pdf had many formatting issues.

The author - Vollhardt was an engaging lecturer, but be prepared to do lots of self-studying if you're taking ochem with him.
Profile Image for Jeffrey Romine.
Author 3 books45 followers
May 11, 2022
The best of the bunch. I chose to read Vollhardt because in my survey of 7 or 8 textbooks, I anticipated this one is the best among them. I was not disappointed. The scope of topics covered is broad, and the depth is excellent. The drawings and illustrations are perfect. I quite enjoyed reading it.
Profile Image for Alyssa S.
52 reviews4 followers
Read
January 3, 2020
DNF-ed. This is an organic chemistry textbook. Need I say more?
Profile Image for Suzanne Jansen.
11 reviews
February 13, 2023
Great read. Really flew by. Loved the part about resonance structures and radical bromination.
Profile Image for Ruben Martinez.
5 reviews
June 13, 2025
The scene where the protons weren't allowed to be together, gets me weeping every time
Profile Image for James.
4,314 reviews
March 20, 2017
I learned about Organic Chemistry from this book. I didn't want to keep it anymore so I donated it to the library.
Profile Image for Lisa Nguyen.
5 reviews
April 19, 2012
This book combines conceptual learning with great examples where you can apply what you read. I thoroughly appreciated the step by step mechanisms with detailed proton transferring. I always refer to this book to look up mechanisms and found that this organic chemistry book demonstrates esterification most clearly.
Profile Image for Andy Chiang.
4 reviews
May 16, 2007
Welcome to the Palace of Chemical Love. A colourful Organic Chemistry textbook (yeah, there are a lot of colours in there). Possibly the most colourful textbook I've ever read. It was hectic, it was good. Makes for some nice, light bedtime reading.

It's also kind of heavy.
Profile Image for Veronika.
16 reviews
January 31, 2017
Gute Erklärungen anhand vielen Beispielen, Diagrammen und Zeichnungen; sehr ausführliche und leicht verständliche Behandlung der Mechanismen. Die zusätzlichen Übungsaufgaben tragen sehr sehr viel zum Verständnis des Stoffes bei.
Profile Image for Wyatt.
12 reviews
December 31, 2011
So much to comprehend! I hope to only retain as much of this as I can!
Profile Image for Whitney.
379 reviews18 followers
November 19, 2015
I have the 7th edition for my organic chemistry class. I'm not a huge chemistry fan to begin with, but this book is certainly one of the better textbooks out there.
1 review
Read
October 18, 2019
Nearly destroyed my life
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Luis.
814 reviews197 followers
May 2, 2018
Era mi libro de Química Orgánica, sigue en mi estantería y por eso le tengo un especial recuerdo.

Si soy honesto, no era el mejor libro de Orgánica. Servía para el nivel más básico del aprendizaje en esta materia, e incluso ahí tenía sus carencias. A medida que se aumentaba el nivel había que dejarlo de lado. Como puntos fuertes, incluía buenos ejemplos y explicaciones didácticas más allá de lo académico.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews

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