How To Solve Organic Reaction Mechanisms - A Stepwise Approach

This book is a much-expanded new edition of the author's acclaimed "Reaction Mechanisms At A Glance," a selection of over 100 reaction mechanisms problems with fully worked solutions. It attempts to demonstrate that a general problem-solving strategy is applicable to many of the common reactions of organic chemistry. It employs a check-list approach to problem-solving using mechanistic organic chemistry as its basis, which is applicable in a wide variety of situations. It aims to show that logical and stepwise reasoning, in combination with a good understanding of the fundamentals, is a powerful tool to apply to the solution of problems.The exercises cover: nucleophilic substitution and elimination; alkene and alkyne chemistry; nucleophilic additions to carbonyl groups; enolate chemistry; aromatic chemistry; rearrangements; and organometallic chemistry. The problems are graded according to difficulty, and aim to cover the typical reactivity for each group. Each mechanism problem is presented as a two-page spread - the left-hand page introduces the problem, and provides helpful hints to the underlying chemistry to each step in the strategy, which is: 1. Label electrophilic/nucleophilic and acidic/basic sites of all reactants, and number identical atoms in the starting material and product2. Identify the most reactive sites if more than one exists3. Recall the characteristic reactions of the most reactive functional groups and, by considering the reaction conditions, decide which is the most appropriate4. Work through the mechanism leading to the intermediate product5. Repeat steps 1-4 (one or more iterations)6. Recognise that this is not the final product, but is closely related to it7. Write down the structure of the final productThe right-hand page of each problem contains the full worked solution, and summary. New to this edition is the treatment of organometallic reaction mechanisms, double the number of worked exercises (15 per chapter), and over 40 further problems (with answers for tutors) for use in tutorials.How To Solve Organic Reaction Mechanisms: A Stepwise Approach is an essential workbook for all students studying organic chemistry, and a useful aide for teachers of undergraduate organic chemistry to use in their tutorials.