NAMED REACTIONS IN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY: Fundamentals of Mechanisms, Synthetic Applications, and Retrosynthetic Planning

Understand named reactions as tools, not triviaNamed Reactions in Organic Chemistry connects mechanism, synthetic application, and retrosynthetic decision-making in one structured reference. Instead of treating reactions as isolated facts, Morgan Thornton shows how electron flow, transition-state geometry, reagent choice, selectivity, and workup determine whether a transformation belongs in a real route.Eighteen progressive chapters move from mechanistic foundations and carbonyl condensations through olefination, organometallic chemistry, aromatic substitution, palladium and copper coupling, cycloadditions, sigmatropic and skeletal rearrangements, nitrogen installation, oxidation, reduction, metathesis, protecting-group strategy, and complete retrosynthetic networks.Inside the book- Stepwise derivations that connect rate, equilibrium, selectivity, yield, and process metrics- Worked examples built around genuinely different synthetic problems- Technical diagrams that make catalytic cycles, stereoelectronic effects, and route choices visible- Comparison tables for reagents, catalysts, scope, limitations, and operational tradeoffs- End-of-chapter problems with answers that can be solved from the chapter itselfThe result is a practical bridge between an undergraduate reaction course and advanced synthesis planning. It is designed for chemistry students, laboratory researchers, instructors, and independent learners who want to explain why a named reaction works, predict when it will fail, and place it intelligently in a multistep synthesis.