Textbook Revolution

Taking the Bite Out of Books

Virtual Textbook of Organic Chemistry

William Reusch

http://www.cem.msu.edu/~reusch/vtxtindex.htm

Here’s an excellent online-only o-chem book, updated constantly. The modular layout is a little confusing at first but soon makes sense. Not searchable, but contains an exhaustive index. Requires either the free Chime or Jmol plugins to to use—I recommend the Jmol, as it will work with a wider variety of browsers. These plugins allow you to twist molecules in 3D, which makes online books far superior to paper ones. And it’s free!

From the text:

Organic chemistry is most commonly and simply defined as the chemistry of carbon compounds. Compared with hydrogen and helium, carbon is not an abundant element in the universe, nor in the solar system; but it is an essential element of life. Indeed, four elements: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen make up most of the matter found in living organisms. Trace elements such as sulfur, phosphorous, sodium, potassium and iron, to name a few, also play an important role in the chemistry of life; but it is the unique properties of carbon that permits the immense diversity of compounds associated with life. From simple single-carbon compounds such as methane and carbon dioxide to the more complex structures found in vitamins, hormones and enzymes, and ultimately to very large macromolecules like DNA, carbon is the underlying essential structural component.

Link to website

Available for purchase? no