Anon:
Anonymous post on Craigslist: Among a number of titles for sale was A Guide to Organic Chemistry Mechanisms, Curved Arrow Press, Princeton. Best mechanism book ever. Amazing book.
LD:
Last May. I ordered your book and we corresponded below. I wanted to follow-up and let you know that not only did I pass Organic this summer, I received a B grade! It was an accelerated 5 week course, that compressed an entire quarter of information into 5 weeks. Needless to say, I was working problems everyday for five weeks. I used your book daily.
Your book made the difference for me. In fact, my professor is encouraging me now to take two more quarters of Organic at the Xxxx School of Engineering. So, the methodology, from my perspective works. I no longer fear Organic and I am also finding that my Biochemistry course is going smoother now as a result.
I will make a point of recommending your book to other classmates. Many thanks!!
Can be contacted: Unconfirmed
MK:
Repetition of reactions is the best way to really learn them, and AGOCM provides an excellent format for learning mechanisms as you repeat them.
JG:
This book cuts down on memorizing an overwhelming number of reactions. Don't forget to read the notes.
NW:
AGOCM really enhanced my knowledge of organic chemistry and made the whole process of learning mechanisms efficient and easy to understand.
Can be contacted: Unconfirmed
SS:
The book just makes sense in teaching how a mechanism works. Great way to learn and understand the subject of organic chemistry.
PL:
I loved it.
HL:
I really enjoyed working with this book and I feel that it definitely helped me grasp more information.
AD:
Where many textbooks leave out the full mechanisms, this book does a great job to help fully understand the step by step procedure of the reaction
LB:
I like the separate sections that allow you to grasp the concept through several steps.
AA:
You end up doing the mechanisms so many times that you learn them without realizing it.
WJ:
I am amazed at how much I can do already with the help of your work. just yesterday morning, I couldn't predict products or suggest reactants for reactions involving acyl halides, anhydrides and esters. now, it seems sort of silly that I had such a hard time with these at all. during breaks at work and over lunch, I have just been writing them out .... doing practice problems ... reviewing mistakes, which are not as frequent now ... writing them out again ... practice problems, etc.
I am moving into amides and nitriles tonight. tomorrow, on to acid/base catalyzed hydrolysis ... this is becoming fun ... almost like a puzzle. I can tell where things must "fit" once I know what they are reacting with or what they will become. I can see where trying to memorize reactants wouldn't really serve my understanding too well. I may forget a step/reactant working this way.
I really can't thank you enough for helping me.