OpenStax to Release Free Online Organic Chemistry Textbook, Instructional Materials

Rice University’s OpenStax project has announced that on Sept. 12, it will release the complete digital version of Organic Chemistry: A Tenth Edition, with unlimited free access online to students and faculty.

The historically costly textbook, which is required material for organic chemistry courses nationwide, will be available in printed form for purchase at “an affordable price,” OpenStax said in a news release. The organization will also offer free access to aligned supplemental resources, including lecture slides, test items and a solution manual, through its website, OpenStax.org.

The first 12 chapters are available online now at https://openstax.org/details/books/organic-chemistry. The remainder will be released next week.

“Organic chemistry is one of the most demanding courses for students looking to pursue careers in STEM, including medical professionals,” the organization said. “In addition to driving the OpenStax mission of expanding access to educational materials to all students, the acquisition and release of this important title illustrates the potential for open education resources to facilitate positive change in how students access and interact with their learning materials.”

The 10th edition has new online diversity, equity and inclusion modules — also being released free for instructors and students — providing a “more comprehensive and inclusive picture of the development and current state of organic chemistry research,” OpenStax said.

Continuing its goal to support health and science students, OpenStax said it plans to release a free, eight-volume series of nursing textbooks covering a comprehensive range of nursing topics. No release date was announced.

About the Author

Kristal Kuykendall is editor, 1105 Media Education Group. She can be reached at [email protected].


Featured

  • abstract representation of diverse workers in colorful silhouettes

    87% of Gen Z Workers Feel Unprepared to Succeed in the Workforce

    A new survey from Instructure explores how prepared people feel to navigate today's workforce, utilize digital tools, and adapt to change.

  • ai robot connected to various technology icons

    ASU Teams Up with Grammarly to Deploy Agentic AI Assistant

    Arizona State University recently partnered with Grammarly to integrate agentic AI into teaching and learning, becoming the first university to deploy Grammarly's Superhuman Go AI platform.

  • Red alert symbols and email icons floating in a dark digital space

    Google Cloud Report: Cyber Attackers Are Fully Embracing AI

    According to Google Cloud's 2026 Cybersecurity Forecast, AI will become standard for both attackers and defenders, with threats expanding to virtualization systems, blockchain networks, and nation-state operations.

  • large group of college students sitting on an academic quad

    Student Readiness: Learning to Learn

    Melissa Loble, Instructure's chief academic officer, recommends a focus on 'readiness' as a broader concept as we try to understand how to build meaningful education experiences that can form a bridge from the university to the workplace. Here, we ask Loble what readiness is and how to offer students the ability to 'learn to learn'.