An advanced-level textbook of organic chemistry for the graduate (B.Sc) and postgraduate (M.Sc) students of Indian and foreign universities. This book is a part of the four-volume series, entitled “A Textbook of Organic Chemistry – Volume I, II, III, IV”. CONTENTS: CHAPTER 1. Nature of Bonding in Organic molecules: Delocalized Chemical Bonding; Conjugation; Cross Conjugation; Resonance; Hyperconjugation; Tautomerism; Aromaticity in Benzenoid and Nonbenzenoid Compounds; Alternant and Non-Alternant Hydrocarbons; Huckel’s Rule: Energy Level of p-Molecular Orbitals; Annulenes; Antiaromaticity; Homo-Aromaticity; PMO Approach; Bonds Weaker than Covalent; Addition Compounds: Crown Ether Complexes and Cryptands, Inclusion Compounds, Cyclodextrins; Catenanes and Rotaxanes CHAPTER 2. Stereochemistry: Chirality; Elements of symmetry; Molecules with more than one chiral centre: diastereomerism; Determination of relative and absolute configuration (octant rule excluded) with special reference to lactic acid, alanine & mandelic acid; Methods of resolution; Optical purity; Prochirality; Enantiotopic and diastereotopic atoms, groups and faces; Asymmetric synthesis: cram’s rule and its modifications, prelog’s rule; Conformational analysis of cycloalkanes (upto six membered rings); Decalins; Conformations of sugars; Optical activity in absence of chiral carbon (biphenyls, allenes and spiranes); Chirality due to helical shape; Geometrical isomerism in alkenes and oximes; Methods of determining the configuration CHAPTER 3. Reaction Mechanism: Structure and Reactivity: Types of mechanisms; Types of reactions; Thermodynamic and kinetic requirements; Kinetic and thermodynamic control; Hammond’s postulate; Curtin-Hammett principle; Potential energy diagrams: Transition states and intermediates; Methods of determining mechanisms; Isotope effects; Hard and soft acids and bases; Generation, structure, stability and reactivity of carbocations, carbanions, free radicals, carbenes and nitrenes; Effect of structure on reactivity; The Hammett equation and linear free energy relationship; Substituent and reaction constants; Taft equation CHAPTER 4. Carbohydrates: Types of naturally occurring sugars; Deoxy sugars; Amino sugars; Branch chain sugars; General methods of determination of structure and ring size of sugars with particular reference to maltose, lactose, sucrose, starch and cellulose. CHAPTER 5. Natural and Synthetic Dyes: Various classes of synthetic dyes including heterocyclic dyes; Interaction between dyes and fibers; Structure elucidation of indigo and Alizarin CHAPTER 6. Aliphatic Nucleophilic Substtitution: The SN2, SN1, mixed SN1 and SN2, SNi , SN1’, SN2’, SNi’ and SET mechanisms; The neighbouring group mechanisms; neighbouring group participation by p and s bonds; anchimeric assistance; Classical and nonclassical carbocations; Phenonium ions; Common carbocation rearrangements; Applications of NMR spectroscopy in the detection of carbocations; Reactivity- effects of substrate structure, attacking nucleophile, leaving group and reaction medium; Ambident nucleophiles and regioselectivity; Phase transfer catalysis. CHAPTER 7. Aliphatic Electrophilic Substitution: Bimolecular mechanisms – SE2 and SEi; The SE1 mechanism; Electrophilic substitution accompained by double bond shifts; Effect of substrates, leaving group and the solvent polarity on the reactivity CHAPTER 8. Aromatic Electrophilic Substitution: The arenium ion: mechanism, orientation and reactivity, energy profile diagrams; The ortho/para ratio, ipso attack, orientation in other ring systems; Quantitative treatment of reactivity in substrates and electrophiles; Diazonium coupling; Vilsmeir reaction; Gattermann-Koch reaction CHAPTER 9. Aromatic Nucleophilic Substitution: The ArSN1, ArSN2, Benzyne and SRN1 mechanisms; Reactivity – effect of substrate structure, leaving group and attacking nucleophile; The von Richter, Sommelet-Hauser, and Smiles rearrangements CHAPTER 10. Elimination Reactions: The E2, E1 and E1cB mechanisms; Orientation of the double bond; Reactivity –effects of substrate structures, attacking base, the leaving group and the medium; Mechanism and orientation in pyrolytic elimination CHAPTER 11. Addition to Carbon-Carbon Multiple Bonds: Mechanistic and stereochemical aspects of addition reactions involving electrophiles, nucleophiles and free radicals; Regio–and chemoselectivity: orientation and reactivity; Addition to cyclopropane ring; Hydrogenation of double and triple bonds; Hydrogenation of aromatic rings; Hydroboration; Michael reaction; Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation. CHAPTER 12. Addition to Carbon-Hetero Multiple Bonds: Mechanism of metal hydride reduction of saturated and unsaturated carbonyl compounds, acids, esters and nitriles; Addition of Grignard reagents, organozinc and organolithium; Reagents to carbonyl and unsaturated carbonyl compounds; Wittig reaction; Mechanism of condensation reactions involving enolates – Aldol, Knoevenagel, Claisen, Mannich, Benzoin, Perkin and Stobbe reactions; Hydrolysis of esters and amides; Ammonolysis of esters.

Knowledge of organic chemistry continues to move ahead in the many fronts. This Competitor's Organic Chemistry has been thoroughly covering the subject to reflect this growth. Competitor's Organic Chemistry has been divided in three volumes, I, II and III for the study of organic chemistry to the students of B. Sc. I, II and III, respectively. These books have been written according to UGC curriculum and cover full syllabus. The series of books are basically designed for the study of organic chemistry of graduate level students but these books will also be helpful and useful for many competitive examinations. The books describe the basic and fundamental concepts, basic structures, reactions and mechanisms of organic chemistry. An effort has also been made to guide the students for reaction based numerical problems of organic chemistry. The readers will observe that this text contains much and sufficient material and it goes more deeply into the subject. It is our request that readers will provide their valuable feedback about books.

In Organic Chemistry, 3rd Edition, Dr. David Klein builds on the phenomenal success of the first two editions, which presented his unique skills-based approach to learning organic chemistry. Dr. Klein’s skills-based approach includes all of the concepts typically covered in an organic chemistry textbook, and places special emphasis on skills development to support these concepts. This emphasis on skills development in unique SkillBuilder examples provides extensive opportunities for two-semester Organic Chemistry students to develop proficiency in the key skills necessary to succeed in organic chemistry.

This is the first of a two-volume set designed for a course focused on the fundamentals of organic chemistry for pre-meds, and chemistry/bioscience students. It covers the major aspects of molecular structure, followed by an introduction to the techniques of physical and organic chemistry.