College Organic Chemistry (T.Y. B.Sc.) — Book Details, Index & Intended Audience
Organic chemistry at the B.Sc. third-year level is where the subject stops being about memorising reactions and starts demanding real understanding of why molecules behave the way they do. College Organic Chemistry (T.Y. B.Sc.), published by Himalaya Publishing House, has been a trusted classroom companion for this exact stage of study for well over two decades. Now in its fourteenth edition (2019, reprinted 2020), the book is written according to the revised syllabus of the University of Mumbai, effective from the academic year 2018-19, yet its coverage maps neatly onto the T.Y. B.Sc. organic chemistry paper of nearly every Indian university with only minor local variations.
What makes this textbook hold its place on so many students' desks is the combination of clear, example-led explanations and a structure that genuinely follows the way the syllabus is taught. Six experienced college teachers have authored it, each bringing their classroom insight into how concepts actually land with students — and that shows in the pacing.
About the Authors
The book is co-authored by faculty members who have spent years teaching undergraduate chemistry in Mumbai's well-known colleges:
- R.S. Rao — Vice-Principal & Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, G.N. Khalsa College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Matunga, Mumbai.
- Dr. (Mrs.) Sushil Puniyani — M.Sc., M.Phil., Ph.D.; Retd. Head, Dept. of Chemistry, K.C. College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Churchgate, Mumbai.
- Dr. Bholanath Mukherjee — Head, Dept. of Chemistry, K.V. Pendharkar College, Dombivli.
- Dr. Tanuja Parulekar — Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, S.I.W.S. College, Wadala, Mumbai.
- Dr. Subhash A. Vanmali — Associate Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, R. Ruia College, Matunga, Mumbai.
- Dr. Chitra Kamath — Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, K.J. Somaiya College of Science and Commerce, Mumbai.
Published by Himalaya Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai — an ISO 9001:2015 certified publisher — the book carries the weight of a long-established academic press behind it.
Key Features of the Book
A few things set this edition apart from a generic textbook. The authors build a strong foundation in reaction mechanism early on — covering bond fission, reaction intermediates, electrophiles and nucleophiles, and acyl nucleophilic substitution before moving into heavier territory. That groundwork matters, because the rest of the syllabus leans on it heavily.
Stereochemistry is treated with real depth across two units. Concepts like chirality, enantio- and diastereoselectivity, topicity, and conformational analysis are explained with enough worked examples that a student can actually follow the reasoning rather than just learn definitions. The IUPAC nomenclature of bicyclic compounds — spiro, fused, and bridged — is a section many textbooks gloss over; here it gets a dedicated, structured treatment.
One of the more thoughtful inclusions is an introduction to green chemistry, covering the twelve principles, atom economy, E-factor calculations, and green reagents and solvents. For a third-year syllabus, this connects classroom chemistry to current industrial and environmental practice in a way students rarely see in older texts.
Spectroscopy gets substantial space across both semesters — UV-Visible, IR, PMR (NMR), and mass spectrometry — with an emphasis on using combined spectral data for structure determination. Solved problems walk through the logic of identifying unknown organic compounds from spectra, which is exactly how questions appear in the exam.
Biomolecules are covered in practical, exam-oriented detail: carbohydrates (with Fischer projections, Haworth formulas, chair conformations, and mutarotation mechanisms), amino acids and proteins (including Merrifield solid-phase synthesis), nucleic acids, vitamins, and hormones. The chapter on polymers also touches on biodegradable polymers and biomedical applications — topics that reflect where the field is heading.
Throughout, the book is packed with charts, tables, illustrations, examples, and practice questions — the kind of supporting material that turns a reading text into something you can revise from. Previous university question papers are included at the end, which alone makes it worth owning for last-minute preparation.
Book Information at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Book Name | College Organic Chemistry (T.Y. B.Sc.) |
| Authors | R.S. Rao, Dr. (Mrs.) Sushil Puniyani, Dr. Bholanath Mukherjee, Dr. Tanuja Parulekar, Dr. Subhash A. Vanmali, Dr. Chitra Kamath |
| Publisher | Himalaya Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai (ISO 9001:2015 Certified) |
| Edition | 14th Edition (2019), Reprint 2020 |
| First Published | 1995 |
| Written As Per | Revised Syllabus, University of Mumbai (effective 2018-19) |
| Target Course | B.Sc. 3rd Year — Organic Chemistry (Semester V & VI) |
| Applicable For | Almost all Indian universities (with minor syllabus variations) |
| Total Chapters | 17 |
| Question Papers | Included (pp. 347–354) |
Detailed Book Index (Chapter-wise)
The contents are split across Semester V and Semester VI, following the two-course structure (USCH503 and USCH603) that most universities mirror under their own course codes.
Semester V
| Chapter | Unit / Topic | Lectures | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechanism of Organic Reactions | 10 | 3 – 29 |
| 2 | Photochemistry | 05 | 30 – 42 |
| 3 | Stereochemistry–I | 05 | 43 – 55 |
| 4 | Agrochemicals | 04 | 56 – 63 |
| 5 | Heterocyclic Chemistry | 06 | 64 – 78 |
| 6 | IUPAC Nomenclature | 05 | 79 – 89 |
| 7 | Synthesis of Organic Compounds | 10 | 90 – 109 |
| 8 | Spectroscopy–I | 05 | 110 – 133 |
| 9 | Natural Products | 10 | 134 – 157 |
Semester VI
| Chapter | Unit / Topic | Lectures | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Stereochemistry–II | 10 | 161 – 177 |
| 11 | Amino Acids and Proteins | 05 | 178 – 197 |
| 12 | Molecular Rearrangements | 05 | 198 – 215 |
| 13 | Carbohydrates | 10 | 216 – 254 |
| 14 | Spectroscopy–II | 10 | 255 – 291 |
| 15 | Nucleic Acids | 05 | 292 – 302 |
| 16 | Polymers | 08 | 303 – 329 |
| 17 | Catalysts and Reagents | 07 | 330 – 345 |
| — | Question Papers | — | 347 – 354 |
Who Should Read This Book
The primary audience is B.Sc. third-year students studying organic chemistry as a core paper. Because the content is structured around the Mumbai University revised syllabus but covers the standard topics taught across the country, students from almost any Indian university — Delhi University, Pune, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, and others — will find it directly useful. Where a particular university reorders a topic or trims a sub-unit, the differences are minor enough that the book still serves as a complete reference.
It is equally valuable for students preparing for competitive exams that include organic chemistry at the undergraduate level, and for lecturers who want a ready, classroom-tested set of examples, mechanisms, and practice problems to teach from. If you are looking for a single book that takes you from reaction intermediates through stereochemistry, spectroscopy, synthesis, and biomolecules — without skipping the reasoning in between — this one does the job well.
Edition: 14th Edition (2019), Reprint 2020
Pages: ~354 (including question papers)
Suitability: B.Sc. 3rd Year — All major Indian universities