Molecular Orbitals and Organic Chemical Reactions, Student Edition Review

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Molecular Orbitals and Organic Chemical Reactions, Student Edition ReviewOut of all the "graduate level" textbooks I've searched for and encountered, Fleming's "Molecular Orbitals and Organic Chemical Reactions" is, in my opinion, the very best a graduate student/lecturer/researcher currently has access too. I should elaborate greatly on that, but put simply the fundamental understanding of modern organic chemistry necessary is provided in this relatively short book. In other words, buy it--- the content and knowledge the book provides (I think) most committee members would expect you to gain/know/understand from your first year and on to your PhD candidacy exam. Undoubtedly then, this book is a very useful asset to your chemical-library. Of course the reading of primary literature and utilizing other sources is inevitable. The text may be disappointing to those looking for elegant synthetic examples presented throughout(*), but will most certainly please those ultimately faced with learning the background absolutely essential for planning and understanding complex organic synthesis.
The outline and flow of the book is very appropriately planned and reads as if you were in Fleming's lecture course. The only complaint I have is the illustrations of structures and orbitals aren't as beautifully drawn (or large) compared to his classic Frontier Orbitals & Organic Chemical Reactions (1976). Also, the ever increasing proper use of color (cf. Kurti & Czako's Strategic Applications of Named Reactions in Organic Synthesis, and even current journal articles) was not adopted in this text, which I think is mildly unfortunate; but, these are very minor issues. For those familiar with the old, this new book is basically an updated and expanded second edition of the classic. There is much greater scope and discussion applied to ionic, radical and photochemical reactions. Fleming includes much greater detail concerning stereochemical events and consequences with very readable discussions and a pleasant touch of historic flair. For example, the Felkin-Anh/Cram models, Baldwin's Rules are all wonderfully described along with an excellent discourse of the Woodward-Hoffmann Rules. So, of course, the Pericyclic reaction chapter is still amazing/unbeatable.
I purchased both the student edition and the reference edition. The textual body is the same in both versions containing the same information with the following differences: (a) the student edition is less expensive by ~$68 and has practice problems at the end of each chapter, with literature references the student can locate and access to find answers/discussions to; (b) the reference edition does not provide practice problems, but, as the name implies, contains exactly 1191 references which are exceedingly useful for the reader to dive in further when necessary. Because this is a more advanced text overall it begs for further exploration, which is why I believe the reference edition to be more valuable and therefore would encourage PhD-students/research chemists to "splurge" for the more expensive hard-covered reference edition and find equally useful problems elsewhere (i.e. Evans' Challenging Problems website). Either way, though, I cannot recommend this "updated" book enough.
* = For those unaware, Fleming published a text (1973)Selected Organic Syntheses a Guidebook for Organic Chemists on selected organic syntheses that may be worth your while; also, many texts regarding elegant syntheses are out there including the venerable Classics in Total Synthesis: Targets, Strategies, Methods series. In addition, I've found having access to D. Boger's (Scripps / $) Modern Organic Synthesis: Lecture Notes and D. A. Evans' C206 (Harvard / Free) lecture notes, combined with the current book under review, are the best weapons for passing the first year/level of graduate school. They help by establishing a solid foundation necessary towards advancing a career in organic chemistry.Molecular Orbitals and Organic Chemical Reactions, Student Edition OverviewWinner of the PROSE Award for Chemistry & Physics 2010
Acknowledging the very best in professional and scholarly publishing, the annual PROSE Awards recognise publishers' and authors' commitment to pioneering works of research and for contributing to the conception, production, and design of landmark works in their fields. Judged by peer publishers, librarians, and medical professionals, Wiley are pleased to congratulate Professor Ian Fleming, winner of the PROSE Award in Chemistry and Physics for Molecular Orbitals and Organic Chemical Reactions.

Molecular orbital theory is used by chemists to describe the arrangement of electrons in chemical structures. It is also a theory capable of giving some insight into the forces involved in the making and breaking of chemical bonds—the chemical reactions that are often the focus of an organic chemist's interest. Organic chemists with a serious interest in understanding and explaining their work usually express their ideas in molecular orbital terms, so much so that it is now an essential component of every organic chemist's skills to have some acquaintance with molecular orbital theory.

Molecular Orbitals and Organic Chemical Reactions is both a simplified account of molecular orbital theory and a review of its applications in organic chemistry; it provides a basic introduction to the subject and a wealth of illustrative examples. In this book molecular orbital theory is presented in a much simplified, and entirely non-mathematical language, accessible to every organic chemist, whether student or research worker, whether mathematically competent or not. Topics covered include:

· Molecular Orbital Theory

· Molecular Orbitals and the Structures of Organic Molecules

· Chemical Reactions — How Far and How Fast

· Ionic Reactions — Reactivity

· Ionic Reactions — Stereochemistry

· Pericyclic Reactions

· Radical Reactions

· Photochemical Reactions

Molecular Orbitals and Organic Chemical Reactions: Student Edition is an invaluable first textbook on this important subject for students of organic, physical organic and computational chemistry.

The Reference Edition edition takes the content and the same non-mathematical approach of the Student Edition, and adds extensive extra subject coverage, detail and over 1500 references. The additional material adds a deeper understanding of the models used, and includes a broader range of applications and case studies. Providing a complete in-depth reference for a more advanced audience, this edition will find a place on the bookshelves of researchers and advanced students of organic, physical organic and computational chemistry. Further information can be viewed here.

"These books are the result of years of work, which began as an attempt to write a second edition of my 1976 book Frontier Orbitals and Organic Chemical Reactions. I wanted to give a rather more thorough introduction to molecular orbitals, while maintaining my focus on the organic chemist who did not want a mathematical account, but still wanted to understand organic chemistry at a physical level. I'm delighted to win this prize, and hope a new generation of chemists will benefit from these books." - Professor Ian Fleming


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