Advanced Organic Chemistry, Fourth Edition - Part B: Reaction and Synthesis

Rating:
Summary: Course on Organic Synthesis
Review: Carey and Sundberg had written the most detailed and briliant account in the subject of organic chemistry. This volume along with Part A (Structure and Mechanisms) contribute to the most updated account in advanced organic chemistry. Part B deals with organic reactions with emphasis on stereochemical consequences. Discussion focuses on the most important reactions and methods in modern organic synthesis.

Alkylation of nucleophilic carbon intermediates discuss regioselectivity and stereoselectivity in enolate formation. The coverage on enolate alkylation is excellent that emphasizes on the model that predicts the stereochemistry of alkylation. The discussion also introduces Ireland model and Zimmerman-Traxler model. Reaction of carbon nucleophiles with carbonyl groups focuses on some of the most significant reactions: Mannich reaction, mixed aldol reaction, Wittig reaction and the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmon reaction. The discussion again focuses on control of regiochemistry and stereochemistry of the condensation via the use of chair transition states.

The best sections in this Part B volume of the book is the complete detailed discussion on reduction and oxidation, Reduction reagents and methods introduced include hydrogenation, hydride donors, stereoselective hydride reduction, various dissolving metal reductions. Oxidation chapter summerizes all important methods like transition-metal oxidant, Collins reagents, epoxidation, peroxidic reagents, ozonolysis, and selective oxidation of certain functional groups.

The revised Part B edition also includes full discussion on reactions involving transition metals and organoboron, organosilicon, and organotin compounds. This includes some of the most updated and current research topics. Other topics covered include reaction of reactive intermediates like carbocations, carbenes, and radicals. Finally, a chapter is devoted to the cycloadditions, unimolecular rearrangements, and thermal eliminations. The last chapter deals with planning multi-step organic synthesis with an emphasis on retrosynthetic analysis. This book has made organic synthesis approachable and easier to comprehend.

Rating:
Summary: Magnificient in its own essence
Review: I found this book extremely easy to read and makes a great addition to the library owned by an organic chemist. Certainly, this book deserves much attention and I believe that it describes many concepts in a simpler manner when comparison to Jerry March's book is called upon. The book is well-written and is exactly what undergraduate students interested in organic chemistry need to read if they want to expand their knowledge of the field without getting into a complex text right away. Definitively, I recommend this book in the shelf of any practicing and non-practicing chemist.

Rating:
Summary: Magnificient in its own essence
Review: I found this book extremely easy to read and makes a great addition to the library owned by an organic chemist. Certainly, this book deserves much attention and I believe that it describes many concepts in a simpler manner when comparison to Jerry March's book is called upon. The book is well-written and is exactly what undergraduate students interested in organic chemistry need to read if they want to expand their knowledge of the field without getting into a complex text right away. Definitively, I recommend this book in the shelf of any practicing and non-practicing chemist.

Rating:
Summary: Had it for a couse, it wasnt as good as others
Review: I had an advanced organic course in college for which this was the text. I don't really know what was wrong with the book specifically, but I often used other sources instead of this book. This book is definitly numerically oriented, deals mroe with physical chemistry than organic, I think. There are better organic books out there.

Rating:
Summary: Unimpressive
Review: I've had a number of upper level courses. This (and part B) may be good for undergrads taking an advanced course but not for grad school. There are a number of errors and important subjects are glossed over or not covered at all. The best part of either of these books are the questions at the end of the chapters. There are lots and lots of questions. If you need it for a class, I'm sorry, if you're looking for a comprehensive advanced organic textbook, get the latest edition of March's book.

Rating:
Summary: A White Pages of Organic Chemistry
Review: Overall, I didn't much enjoy reading this book, as its style is basically to present one reaction after another. I did learn a lot, however. I think the book would be helped by having some unifying strategy of synthesis presented. I read Warren's _Organic Synthesis: the Disconnection Approach_ along with this one and it helped a great deal with getting a grasp of the big picture of organic synthesis.