This fourth volume in the series "Organic Synthesis: Theory and Applications" is composed of five chapters that span a wide range of disciplines. Alkaloid chemistry, total synthesis, synthetic methodology, carbohydrate technology, and spin-trapping agents are all covered by experts in these fields.
The first chapter is one of the finest examples of deductive reasoning in the chemical literature, examining the rich history of the chemistry of morphine. Within the following chapters, synthetic challenges of the marine terpenoids are brought into focus, the chemistry and synthetic applications of cyclobutenediones are reviewed and the utility of glycosyl iodides in the preparation of glycosides are summarized. Finally a report on a new class of spin-traping agents, azulenyl nitrones is covered. In all, five diverse subdisciplines are brought together and reviewed in this volume.

Volume 5 in this series spans a variety of topics including terpene synthesis, amino acid synthesis, and combinatorial methods for generation of structural diversity.
The first chapter has been contributed by Trond Hansen and Professor Yngve Strenstrom of the Agricultural University of Norway, and surveys naturally occurring cyclobutanes. As well as providing a review of representative syntheses and synthetic strategies for the introduction of cyclobutane into target molecules, the number of rings contained in the natural product is also discussed in logical order.
The following chapter, written by Professor Timothy Brocksom, his wife Ursula, and a number of co-workers from the Federal University of Sao Carlos, surveys the synthesis of higher terpenes by the use of Diels-Alder reaction. A useful review of the current literature in this field is provided, together with 79 references and footnotes.
The third chapter, written by Michael G. Natchus and Xinrong Tian of Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, covers recent advances in the synthesis of unnatural amino acids. Three of the major asymmetric methods are discussed and grouped according to the chemistry involved.
The fourth and final chapter has been contributed by Professor Dennis Wright of the University of Florida, and other co-workers. A review of the combinatorial chemistry methods currently available for lead discovery in pharmaceutical research is provided in this chapter, as well as discussions on the methods based on natural products and an overview of the complexity building techniques.
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Part of a series which covers areas of organic synthesis ranging from the latest developments in enantioselective methodologies, to reviews of updated chemical methods. The volumes are written by experts, who describe their own area of expertise, as well as those of their peers.

At the heart of organic chemistry is the effective synthesis of natural products or compounds, which are important for pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, for example. These syntheses often include new reactions and novel concepts in organic chemistry, such that there is always a need for innovative strategies and improved methods.
This textbook presents not only synthetic ways to design organic compounds, it also contains a compilation of total synthesis with a comparative view of multiple designs for the same targets. It explains different tactics and strategies, making it easy to apply to many problems, whatever the synthetic question in hand. Following a historical view of the evolution of synthesis, the book goes on to look at principles and issues impacting synthesis and design as well as principles and issues of methods. The sections on comparative design cover classics in terpenes and alkaloid synthesis, while a further section covers such miscellaneous syntheses as Maytansine, Palytoxin, Brevetoxin B and Indinavir. The whole is rounded off with a look at future perspectives.
With its attractive layout highlighting key parts and tactics using a second color this is a useful tool for organic chemists, lecturers and students in chemistry, as well as those working in the chemical industry.
A native of North Carolina, Josephine Reed was educated at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (B.A., English), Appalachian State University (B.A., biology and chemistry), and Virginia Tech (Ph.D., chemistry). Besides her many, many years as a student, she has spent time as a department store clerk, a waitress, a banker, a bartender, and a chemistry instructor. Shecontinues her eclectic career at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, where she shares her life and her work with the co-author and their son. Still an English major at heart, Josie has always had a secret desire to be a writer, preferably a poet, and is delighted to be a part of the making of this book.
Tomas Hudlicky was born and raised in Prague, Czechoslovakia and emigrated to the US in 1968. He received his PhD in 1977 under the direction of Professor Ernest Wenkert in the field of indole alkaloid total synthesis. He then spent a year at the University of Geneva working under the late Professor Wolfgang Oppolzer on the synthesis of isocomene. He began his academic career in 1978 at the Illinois Institute of Technology and moved to Virginia tech (1982) and to the University of Florida(1995). In 2003, he accepted an offer from Brock University where he currently holds the position of Canada Research Chair professor of Organic synthesis and Biocatalysis. His current research interests include the development of enantioselective synthetic methods, bacterial dioxygenase-mediated degradation of aromatics and isolation of chiral metabolites for use in asymmetric synthesis, design and synthesis of fluorinated inhalation anesthetic agents, synthesis of morphine and Amaryllidaceae alkaloids, organic electrochemistry, and design of unnatural oligo-saccharide conjugates and polymers with new molecular properties. His hobbies include martial arts, music, hockey, and skiing and he enjoys all of these with his 17 year old son Jason.