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    Organic Chemistry Laboratory Techniques

    Reviewed by Elizabeth Cohen, Chemistry Professor, Mount Hood Community College on 12/5/16

    Comprehensiveness rating: 5

    The textbook provided a comprehensive and in depth coverage of the both laboratory technique and instrumentation used in an introductory organic chemistry lab. The summaries at the end of each topic would be a wonderful quick reference and overview for a student. My only complaint would be that the coverage of chromatography did not include drip column chromatography. Column chromatography is not limited to flash column chromatography.

    Content Accuracy rating: 5

    The only area I felt was biased was in the area of chromatography. Not all academic labs are set up to do flash columns.

    Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

    Organic technique doesn't change. Instrumentation does change, but the instruments presently used in a teaching lab will probably not become outdated any time soon. Even the images used will probably still be relevant 10 to 20 years from now.

    Clarity rating: 5

    't The textbook was a pleasure to read. Although the topic was technical, it didn't feel like a heavy read. The writing style should be very accessible to a typical organic student. The use of images made the book not boring to read. The textbook i sm presently using is very dry. There is just too much text where an image would be much more informative. Another lab book I have used was funny to read but lack the completness of this textbook and the humor got in the way of clarity.

    Consistency rating: 5

    It was obvious that the textbook was written by a single person because it was very consistent in style and the use of terminology.

    Modularity rating: 5

    The textbook is well structured. As a reference guide, it would be easy for a student to locate the theory behind a technique, a detailed explanation of a technique, or a quick summary of a technique. It is much better than any other lab textbook I have read.

    Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

    The topics are presented in a well organized fashion. The images used are well placed and add to the clarity of the text.

    Interface rating: 4

    I did have difficulty with navigating in the book. Every time I opened it I had to scroll down to where I had left off rather than clicking on the topic I left off on in a table of contents. The book lacked a table of contents.

    Grammatical Errors rating: 5

    I did not notice any grammatical errors, but then again I was not looking for any.

    Cultural Relevance rating: 3

    Not applicable.

    Comments

    I loved this book.I will definitely be adding it to my course books for the second quarter of organic chemistry this winter and it will completely replace my present lab textbook next fall.

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