Book excerpt: Organic Chemistry: A Two-Semester Course of Essential Organic Chemistry is a concise and accessible textbook that covers the critical information a student will learn during a two-semester organic chemistry course. The book lays out the essential concepts of organic chemistry according to the requirements outlined by the American Chemical Society. The book begins with a chapter dedicated to covalent bonding and the structure of molecules. In later chapters, students study proton transfer reactions and stereochemistry. They explore nucleophilic substitution, alkenes, alkynes, alcohols, spectroscopy of organic compounds, and more. The final chapters are devoted to amines, benzene and aromatic compounds, and an introduction to biomolecules. The second edition features revisions throughout the text, including new end-of-chapter problems, updated ChemDraw graphics, and new figures and a new section in Chapter 1. Organic Chemistry provides students with a brief yet thorough exploration of organic chemistry basics. The book is an excellent resource for organic chemistry courses, particularly those at the undergraduate level, and can also be used by students as they prepare for standardized ACS, MCAT, PCAT, and Chemistry GRE exams, as well as other professional assessments. It can also be used by multidisciplinary researchers as a basic reference book covering all essential concepts, terminology, and nomenclature of organic chemistry.