Main description:

From the spectroscopy of molecules to energy changes, chemical principles underlie all that we see and do. Yet organic synthesis seems to stand apart, as a hugely creative and artistic pursuit of a structural target from a seemingly infinite palette of chemical transformations. This book assumes an eagerness to learn and aims simply to nurture a synoptic approach to the mastery of the subject. The distinction between novice and virtuoso has the understanding of key chemical principles at its heart - the ability to connect them to experimental observations and an elegant model of mechanism, as well as having the confidence to blend those wonderful colours to make a masterpiece.

Contents:

Chemical Thermodynamics. Molecular Structure. Chemical Kinetics. Acidity and Basicity. Mechanism. Reaction Types. Reactivity of Functional Groups. Stereochemistry. Mechanism and Kinetics. Structure Determination. Retrosynthesis. Principal Transformations in Organic Synthesis. Formation of Aliphatic C-N Bonds. Formation of Aliphatic C-C Bonds. Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution. Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution. Aromatic Diazonium Salts. Oxidation. Reduction. Rearrangements. Free Radical Reactions. Synoptic Approaches in Organic Synthesis. Determination of Reaction Mechanism. Pericyclic Reaction. Photochemical Reactions. P, S, Si and B Reagents. Organotransition Metal Reagents. Asymmetric Synthesis. Synthesis of 5- and 6-membered Heterocycles. Synthesis of Natural Compounds I: Carbohydrates; Amino-acids, Peptides and Proteins. Synthesis of Natural Compounds.