The author of more than 100 research papers, Professor McMurry is best known scientifically for his development of the McMurry reaction, in which two molecules of ketone or aldehyde are coupled to give an alkene when treated with titanium chloride and a reducing agent such as Zn(Cu). The reaction has been widely used by the chemical community in the laboratory synthesis of many complex organic molecules. McMurry was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1985 and received a Max Planck Society Research Award in 1991.

In addition to his scientific work, McMurry is the author of numerous undergraduate chemistry textbooks. More than 2.2 million copies of his books in eleven languages have been used throughout the world. Among his current texts are:

• Organic Chemistry (7th edition)
• Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry (6th edition)
• Organic Chemistry: A Biological Approach
• The Organic Chemistry of Biological Pathways
• Chemistry (5th edition)
• General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry (5th edition)