Organic Chemistry for Schools: Advanced Level and Senior High School

Organic compounds are ubiquitous in nature. They are present in food, commercial products, domestic materials, and all the cells of the human body. The realization that the chemistry of organic compounds permeates all life forms, often stimulates the desire of many students to pursue studies in medical- and natural-chemistry-related fields. In my own case, although I had always been fascinated by chemistry in general, I only opted to study it at a higher level by default. This is beacuse prior to my university education, I barely understood its various concepts. But this changed dramatically when at university, I was lucky enough to be taught by some very inspirational, experienced and internationally-acclaimed chemistry teachers, who actually lived the subject. Interestingly, even then, there were only a few relevant, user-friendly textbooks on the subject. As I have discovered over the years, organic chemistry is so broad and covers so much that for effective delivery, not only must those who teach the subject constantly adopt innovative methods of teaching, there must also be readily-available and easy-to-read textbooks. Because of the apparent complexity of the subject, organic chemistry teachers must always aim to instill a love of learning for it, by imparting knowledge in ways that can be motivating and exciting. When students have access to relevant, user-friendly textbooks and lessons are made interactive, simple, clear and exciting, rather than dominated by learning by rote, organic chemistry can be both interesting and easy-to-understand. This book is an attempt to contribute to the growing body of knowledge that aims to stimulate students' interest, and love for the wonderful world of organic chemistry. The intention is to equip students with the basic concepts, so they can refrain from simply memorizing, but rather seek to understand and not be intimidated by it.