Product Description

Written for the laboratory that accompanies the sophomore/junior level courses in Organic Chemistry, Zubrick is a paperback student guide to the basic techniques of the Organic Chemistry lab.  The book describes the instruments and techniques used in an Organic Chemistry lab.   Diagrams show students how to make measurements, set up labs and perform meaningful experiments. 

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #430994 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

From the Back Cover
“It is easy to use, straightforward, and readable. The examples clearly make the desired points. The strongest endorsement for the text is that the students find it useful and like it.”

“The tongue-in-cheek conversational tone of the manual makes it very favorably received by the students…Students do not have to wade through a lot of text to get the important information.” — DR. LYNNE CANNON, The University of Iowa

“The major strengths of Zubrick’s lab manual are his writing style and his sense of humor.” — DR. HENRY GINGRICH, Princeton University

About the Author
James W. Zubrick is Professor of Chemistry at Hudson Valley Community College.

Customer Reviews

Organic Lab Primer For Beginning Students
This volume provides a plethora of information on equipment and techniques for introductory organic chemistry laboratory. It is best suited for first year organic sequence. A great deal of info includes keeping a lab notebook, experiment glasswares, separation techniques and IR spectroscopy. A particular section that I find helpful and handy is the discussion on jointware. The distinction and usage on different kinds of adaptation jointwares can be confusing. I believe Zubrick's book is one of the few out in the field that actually discusses the use of different jointware. The section "To Grease or not to grease" discusses whether or not to use a lubricant and when to use lubricant. For a novice organic lab student who is both confused and overwhelmed by massive equipment in the lab, this book is the perfect primer. Yet the information might be oversimplified and scarce to advanced student and lab chemist. Coverage on topics like TLC, distillation theory, spectroscopy could be more in-depth and detailed. I recommend this book for beginning students. For more advanced students, they should consult Vogel's "Practical Organic Chemistry".

Possibly a little too basic
I would recommend this book only for the absolute beginner in organic chemistry. While it does much to inspire confidence in the novice student, some of Prof. Zubrick's explanations of laboratory techniques could be a little more detailed. A better bet is Advanced practical organic chemistry, by Leonard, Procter and Lygo.

A put-you-at-ease manual for a keep-you-on-edge subject
Professor Zubrick cuts to the heart of the intimidating subject of Organic Chemistry. His dry, even warped sense of humor is a welcome break from the usual style found in chemistry texts. This book is worth reading even if you're not taking Organic Chem! As some of the other reviewers say, it is not a daily reference for the practicing organic chemist, but for anyone taking O Chem I or II, it is an absolute must-have! The numerous diagrams help make sense of which part is which, and how they go together. The detail Prof. Zubrick provides is sufficient without being excessive, which makes reading this book actually fun for anyone. His explanations will make you snicker, if not laugh out loud! If you're the only student in the class with this book, keep a close eye on it, it may grow legs. I promise (if you have a sense of humor), you'll enjoy this book more than most others, on this topic or otherwise!