A TEXTBOOK ON ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

this textbook organizes and discusses the patterns of chemical reactivity—which constitutes the majority of the subject matter—by combining information about the structures of functional groups (the reactive portions of a molecule) with the reaction mechanisms (pathways of chemical reactions) that these functional groups undergo.This approach differs from the one presented in many other texts which describeeverytype of reaction that can occur for a given functional group; each approach has its advantages and disadvantages.The one I have utilized here evolved from my objective to integrate discussions about biochemical processes with the types of reactions that are carried out in chemistry laboratories.With the use of two points of reference—structuresandmechanisms—the similarities that associate biochemical and synthetic reactions can be appreciated more easily.