this set is comprehensive and of very high quality. I highly recommend it for building simple molecules. There is only one draw back to this set and it seems to be a design, or functionality issue. When you reach stereochemistry in the first quarter/semester of O chem, these sets become very important. Building molecules and making observations is not a problem with this set per say, but i can attest to the fact that there is another type of set (Darling Molecular Models) that is much more functional for conformational isomerism (an integral part of stereochemistry)..this other set is not pretty, nor convenient to assemble or carry around, but its the best ive used for conformational isomerism. (e.g. the many conformations of cyclohexane). it is very helpful with observing the many different ways molecules arrange themselves to promote stability, particularly with ring structures... The Darling set should be thought of as the set for cyclohexane isomerism because that is the only purpose it served in my studying. It serves that particular purpose flawlessly, however it is no where near the quality of this set in terms of the variety, accuracy and quality material of pieces included ...this set is also more user friendly if that is important to you (not harsh on the hands, simple construction)...as far as conformational isomerism goes With this set here, it is difficult to see the shape of the coveted chair conformation of cyclohexane,(due to the larger size of the atoms and shortness / flexibility of the sigma bonds provided), and if you want to add substituents to the ring it becomes even more obscurred due to the short length of the bond pieces. They are also somewhat flexible which makes ring flips difficult to perform (the molecules arent rigid enough to manipulate structure effectively). However, this set is great with building functional groups...they are beautiful and accurate. This set is comprehensive so there should not be an issue with having the right pieces to form organic molecules..the only set ive seen that contains an sp3d hybridized carbon piece which facilitates octahedral structures...Overall, I recommend buying both sets, and using the Darling Molecular Models set whenever you want to determine the stability of various conformations of cyclohexane, and use this set for everything else...if conformational isomerism of cyclohexane wasnt so important, this set would get five stars... Whichever you buy, these sets are invaluable in the knowledge they foster, they will certainly put you far ahead of anyone in the course who is not using a model set to study. O Chem is a three dimensional virtue of imagination; hence these sets are essential in understanding molecular stability and molecular reactivity. Good Luck!
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I was very pleased with this set. It comes with a good selection of different styles of carbon atoms (a couple 2-hole, several "trigonal" type, while the majority are the tetrahedral type).
The only addition I would make to the set would be a couple other types of halogens (maybe 2 each of fluorine, iodine, and bromine). I noticed that you could purchase individual atoms/bonds/orbitals from the manufacturer's website, so that will be my solution for this (very minor) problem.
I found this set to be very helpful for illustrating the basic concepts of a first-year Organic Chemistry course (stereochemistry in particular).
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This set is good, but it is not really what I was hoping for. There are too many non-tetravalent carbons to make it really useful. Also, it is really difficult to build a chair cyclohexane for some reason...the angles on the 1,3-diaxial substituents do not look correct.
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Very good product. . . . .
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I purchased this for our granddaughter, she is in college at PLU in Washington State. This is the second kit I have purchased.
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