Chemical Education Today
Book & Media Reviews Asymmetric Synthesis Garry Procter. Oxford University Press: New York, 1996. vi + 237 pp. ISBN 0 19 855726 4 (cloth); $85.00. ISBN 0 19 855725 6 (paper); $37.00.
This ever-expanding area of organic chemistry is indeed a daunting challenge for a book, both in terms of the breadth of material and the rapid change of events relative to the publishing time line. I feel the author has done an admirable job juggling these two issues. Following an introductory chapter on the principles of asymmetric induction are seven chapters on individual classes of reactions: additions to carbonyl compounds, α-substitution using chiral enolates, asymmetric aldol reactions, additions to C–C double bonds, reduction and oxidation, rearrangements, and hydrolysis and esterification. The vast majority of the references are from the mid-80s through the early 90s, including both general and seminal references. In particular, I feel a very solid balance has been achieved between content and clarity. The chapter on “Principles” at the beginning was very well thought out and organized and is a wonderful overview of asymmetric synthesis. This is balanced nicely in subsequent chapters on specific methods where very useful, practical generalizations are presented, such as the “best α -hydroxylation” method or the
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“best α-bromination” procedure. The chapters also have nicely integrated examples that show the power of the particular bond construction being examined as it applies to published total syntheses, my favorite being the ones in the chapter on asymmetric aldol reactions. My only real complaint about the format is in the difficulty of finding “past” material within the chapters, which have no breaks or subsections. This could have been made easier by the inclusion of subheadings. I found this book to be very well written and truly an enjoyable read. However, it is also very dense with information—there are no filler sentences here! In this respect I feel that most undergraduates would find it very difficult to follow, especially if it were a primary text for a course. It would make a wonderful complementary text for either advanced undergraduate courses or Master’s classes, as it provides a solid overview of this area with the major concepts and breakthroughs clearly delineated. It would also be perfect reading for students planning to go on to graduate school in organic chemistry. Brenda Kesler Department of Chemistry San Jose State University San Jose, CA 95192-0101
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 75 No. 5 May 1998 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
