Book excerpt: Organic chemistry is a core part of the chemistry curricula, andadvanced levels texts often obscure the essential frameworkunderlying and uniting the vast numbers of reactions as a result ofthe high level of detail presented. The material in this book iscondensed into a manageable text of 350 pages and presented in aclear and logical fashion, focusing purely on the basics of thesubject without going through exhaustive detail or repetitiveexamples. The book aims to bridge the gap between undergraduateorganic chemistry textbooks and advanced level textbooks, beginningwith a basic introductory course and arranging the reactionmechanisms according to an ascending order of difficulty. As such,the author believes the book will be excellent primer for advancedpostgraduates Reaction Mechanisms in Organic Synthesis is written fromthe point of view of the synthetic organic chemist, enablingstudents and researchers to understand and expand on reactionscovered in foundation courses, and to apply them in a practicalcontext by designing syntheses. As a further aid to the practicalresearch student, the content is organized according to theconditions under which a reaction is executed rather than by thetypes of mechanisms. Particular emphasis is placed on controllingstereospecificity and regiospecificity. Topics covered include: Transition metal mediated carbon-carbon bond formationreactions Use of stabilized carbanions, ylides and enamines forcarbon-carbon bond formation reactions, Advanced level use of oxidation and reduction reagents insynthesis. As a modern text, this book stands out from its competitors dueto its comprehensive coverage of recently published research. Thebook contains specific examples from the latest literature,covering modern reactions and the latest procedural modifications.The focus on contemporary and synthetically useful reactionsensures that the contents are specifically relevant and attractiveto postgraduate students and industrial organic chemists.