Organic Chemistry as a Second Language: Second Semester Topics 5th Edition, ISBN-13: 978-1119493914

Organic chemistry can be a challenging subject. Most students view organic chemistry as a subject requiring hours upon hours of memorization. Author David Klein’s Second Language books prove this is not true―organic chemistry is one continuous story that actually makes sense if you pay attention. Offering a unique skill-building approach, these market-leading books teach students how to ask the right questions to solve problems, study more efficiently to avoid wasting time, and learn to speak the language of organic chemistry.

The fifth edition of Organic Chemistry as a Second Language: Second Semester Topics builds upon the principles previously explored in first half of the course―delving deeper into molecular mechanisms, reactions, and analytical techniques. Hands-on exercises and thoroughly-explained solutions further reinforce student comprehension of chemical concepts and organic principles. An indispensable supplement to the primary text, this resource covers aromatic compounds, infrared (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, nucleophilic and electrophilic aromatic substitution, ketones and aldehydes, carboxylic acid derivatives, and much more.

David Klein is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at The Johns Hopkins University where he has taught organic chemistry since 1999. Having worked with thousands of students, he has intense first-hand knowledge of how they learn and the difficulties they encounter. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from The Johns Hopkins University and his PhD from the University of California at Los Angeles under the supervision of Professor Orville Chapman. Motivated by his experiences teaching organic chemistry as a graduate student at UCLA, David wrote Organic Chemistry as a Second Language (John Wiley & Sons, 2004, updated 2nd edition published in 2008), which has become a highly valued student study resource. David has received numerous teaching awards at both UCLA and Johns Hopkins for his unique, skill-building approach to organic chemistry instruction. David is married, with five children, and enjoys skiing, scuba-diving, and Tae Kwon Do.