Reactive Intermediates in Organic Chemistry Structure, Mechanism, and Reactions

This unique text gives a detailed introduction into the chemistry of the most important reactive intermediates in modern organic chemistry, such as carbocations, carbanions, radicals, carbenes, carbenoids, nitrenes, arynes, etc. Each chapter is clearly structured and provides information on the formation, identification, structure, stereochemistry as well as stability and reactivity of the intermediates. Additionally, a problem section with different levels of difficulty is included for self-testing. By providing a deeper understanding of the underlying concepts in organic chemistry, this is a must-have reference for PhD and master students in organic chemistry as well as a valuable source of information for chemists in academia and industry working in the field of organic synthesis.

Maya Shankar Singh obtained his PhD degree in Organic Chemistry from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India in 1986. After postdoctoral research, he joined the Vikram University Ujjain as Assistant Professor in 1990 and moved to Gorakhpur University as Associate Professor in 1998 and then to Banaras Hindu University in 2004, where he became Professor in Organic Chemistry in 2006. During his sabbatical, he visited University of Arizona, USA; Michigan State University, USA; Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan; Loughborough University, UK and University of Leicester, UK. His research interests are centered on synthetic organic chemistry, in particular the design and discovery of new drug candidates, development of novel building block precursors, new synthetic methodologies (catalytic and stoichiometric) and investigations towards understanding mechanisms, one-pot multi-component domino/tandem reactions, solvent-free reactions, asymmetric synthesis, green reactions and chemistry of ?-oxodithioesters/?-oxothioamides and <-oxoketene-S,S-/N,Sacetals. He has published more than 120 scientific papers and four reviews articles in reputed international journals. Prof. Singh has also authored two textbooks in organic chemistry published by Pearson Education. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India.

Preface

INTRODUCTION
Reaction Mechanism and Reaction Arrows
Properties and Characteristics of a Reaction
Summary

CARBOCATIONS
Introduction
History
Sturctures and Geometry of Carbocations
Generation of Carbocation
Carbocation Stability
Detection of Carbocations
Fate of Carbocations
Nonclassical Carbocations
Radical Cations
Summary

CARBANIONS
Structure and Geometry of Carbanions
Generation of Carbanions
Stability of Carbanions
Reactions of Carbanions
Enolate Reactions with Carbonyl Groups
Rearrangements of Carbanions
Chiral Carbanions
Carbanions and Tautomerism
Summary

RADICALS
Introduction
Detection and Characterization of Radicals
Structure and Bonding of Radicals
Generation of Free Radicals
Stability of Radicals
Reactions of Free Radicals
Stereochemistry of Radical Reactions
Biradicals
Summary

CARBENES
Structure and Geometry of Carbenes
Generation of Carbenes
Reactions of Carbenes
Carbenes and Carbene Ligands in Organometallic Chemistry
Summary

NITRENES
Introduction
Structure and Reactivity
Generation of Nitrenes
Reactions of Nitrenes
Summary

MISCELLANEOUS INTERMEDIATES
Arynes
Ketenes and Cumulenes
ortho-Quinone Methides
Zwitterions and Dipoles
Antiaromatic Systems
Tetrahedral Intermediates
Summary

Index