Organic Syntheses Based on Name Reactions

Organic chemists are in the habit of attaching a name – usually the name of the discoverer or discoverers – to specific reactions or reagents. These “name reactions” help to convey information about specific transformations without the necessity to explain the finer details.

In the third edition of the book Organic Syntheses Based on Name Reactions, A. Hassner and I. Namboothiri have included 750 named transformations. The book is reviewed by Ulrich Hennecke, Westflische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany.

Hennecke writes that despite the sheer number of transformations, which makes the book the most extensive of its kind, the authors have managed to limit the book to a compact size. In the main part of the book, every name reaction or reagent is treated according to a general scheme: Each entry starts with the name of the transformation and a general classification. This is followed by a short description of one to four sentences and a reaction scheme. In most cases the scheme contains not only the starting materials and products, but also important intermediates and/or a brief mechanistic description. Below the scheme, a typical reaction procedure is described for every entry. The procedures are usually short but adequate. Finally, every entry ends with a list of literature references, starting with the seminal publications and including asymmetric variants, if appropriate, and applications of the reaction from the very recent literature (up to 2011).

The main section of the book is followed by a very useful index which makes the vast amount of information in this book easily accessible.

The selection of reactions includes not only important general transformations, but also many name reactions from more specialized fields such as heterocyclic or nucleoside chemistry. In this new edition, the authors have included many important reactions from the last decade, covering fields such as asymmetric organocatalysis.

Hennecke concludes that the combination of a powerful index section, the experimental procedures, and the affordable price ensure a place for this book on the laboratory shelf of the practicing synthetic chemist as a quick and inspiring guide to modern organic chemistry.

Read the full review at: