Molecular Visions Organic Model Kit with Molecular Modeling Handbook

If you search Amazon under "Molecular Visions Kit" you'll find (any given time) up to three or four of the wonderful Darling Model kits. These kits have been trashed as coming in the "wrong" container in some reviews (pictures have now been fixed, which confused the "triple" kit (organometallic / organic / inorganic) which DOES come in the green plastic box with single bag kits previously.But who cares? The point of Darling isn't just the outstanding snaps, bonds and exclusive atom shells, but the awesome and unique BOOKLETS that come with these sets, that step you through not just assembly but the chemistry, the pi's, the bonds, and MUCH more!! Unlike ANY other set (including Prentice), Darling's books MAKE these series. Stephen simply has spared no effort to EDUCATE us on what we're assembling, in painstaking detail.Which brings me to a BIG WARNING: You CAN get these kits for 10% of the price as "used"-- I got this one for $2 with an Amazon third party, and have also bought many others here for my classes (molecular biology tutorial creator). BUT:1. DO NOT buy from a seller that states "parts may be missing." If the "part" is the booklet, you've missed out on 90% of the value of the set. In fact, I put these booklets' value at about $20 by themselves!!2. If a seller says "like new unopened" you're usually ok. If they say "like new, just opened to check" -- EMAIL them on Amazon's system and ASK SPECIFICALLY if the booklet is there!So, here are the kits available here at this writing, each with their own booklet: Molecular Visions: The Flexible Molecular Model Kit Molecular Visions Organic Model Kit with Molecular Modeling Handbook Molecular Visions Organic Model Kit #3 [With Model PiecesWith Instruction Booklet ]Check out all three to see accurate pictures of packaging, which Amazon has now corrected, if that's important to you.Five stars on all of them, with an extra star for Stephen's well thought out booklets that teach FAR MORE than how the pieces go together, including types of bonds, aromatics, planars, his trademarked atom visions shells, acyclic molecules, Newman projections, software oriented Fisher projections, isomers, and MUCH MUCH more!NOTE: If you mistakenly get a kit without the guide/booklet, they are available on the manufacturer's website as free pdf downloads-- darlingmodels dot com-- but if your kit(s) are missing parts, you'll have to buy them!! Note also that Amazon's direct AND third party prices are all lower than the manufacturer direct! The booklets ARE different for each set.Library Picks reviews only for the benefit of Amazon shoppers and has nothing to do with Amazon, the authors, manufacturers or publishers of the items we review. We always buy the items we review for the sake of objectivity, and although we search for gems, are not shy about trashing an item if it's a waste of time or money for Amazon shoppers. If the reviewer identifies herself, her job or her field, it is only as a point of reference to help you gauge the background and any biases.

First off, this is a decent kit. It's small, so it's easy to carry around, but it's small, so there are only so many compounds that can be modeled with it. I bought two to get around this, which is great. The pieces from both kits fit in one box so it doesn't take up any extra space. Very nice.This is not like some kits where the atoms are, well..., atomic and you connect tubes or sticks to form molecules. With this kit, there are sub-pieces that you use to build each atom depending on what it is. The sub-pieces are labeled sp3, sp2, sp, etc. to indicate how it should be used. It takes a little extra time to build each atom before you build a molecule, but the angles are always correct. Double bonds aren't just two single bonds bent to reach, they are the appropriate angle and shape. This limits the pieces you can use, since they are very specific, so there is a downside to the positive.Also, the bonds are post and tube. The post fits into the tube. It makes for tight connections and works pretty well, except you have to be careful that every single atom is configured to match the atom on the other side of the bond. If one side is post, the other better be tube. Often times you will need to pull apart what you have just done in order to reverse everything. It can be a serious pain in the butt.The biggest downside is that the kit I received (Jan. 2007) is the eighth edition kit. It is not what is advertised here, at least when I ordered it and as I write this. The kit I got comes with a cheap cardboard box, NOT a plastic case. The pieces seem bigger than my TA's and it looks like there are less of them. I have not done a side by side comparison though. There are less black pieces in my kit than are in the picture here, that is for sure. The organizer is absent in this version too, so all the pieces just get piled into the cheap cardboard box and you have to sort through to find them. We can use these in exams and it is going to suck to have to dig through an unorganized mess of atom sub-pieces with the clock ticking down. An organizer style plastic case could be purchased separately from any hardware store, but that just adds to the cost and overhead.All in all, it's an acceptable kit for the price, but what I received is not what is featured here. Very disappointing. I think I'm going to try to sell this and get one of the more expensive sets.

I bought this model kit a little late in the semester, and it was recommended to me by my professor as an inexpensive model kit that got the job done. I was kind of surprised to see so many dissatisfied reviews, however upon reading them I decided to buy this kit, anyway, because the complaints I read didn't concern me. When I purchased this kit it was around $15 bucks. I use it to get a visual idea of stereochemical relationships for organic chemistry. I'm not a chem major. In my opinion that's who this kit would be best for. If you're looking to use a kit for anything more complex, I suggest for you to invest in something a little nicer. The guides for this model set are very easy to understand, my only complaint is that I wish all the of bonds interlocked. Oh, and in regard to the complaints about the box being cardboard (which was shown in the product picture)... I just bought a plastic pencil-box from the dollar store and everything fits perfectly. Easily solved.

Lo compré a petición de una amiga que es ingeniera química y luego me dijo que estaba muy regular, y que no era lo que se esperaba, ya que en principio por la foto parecía una forma más adecuada de construir enlaces químicos.

A must for chemistry students of school and college students

Soy estudiante de Quimica y es justo lo que necesitaba para construir modelos en la clase de Orgánica. Muy buenos, vienen los suficientes como para construir ciclos de un tamaño mediano.