Customer Reviews

Classics in Total Synthesis: Targets, Strategies, Methods

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The more I read and study out from the book, the more I appreciate the beauty of it. Nicolaou and Sorensen's Classics in Total Synthesis is the most widely consulted title on organic synthesis. As many have commented, this book is a must for every synthetic organic chemist, organic student and researcher.

Released in 1995, despite the advances in synthetic methodology, Nicolaou has presented some of the most remarkable and ingenious total syntheses from laboratories of the world's most prominent organic chemists. Molecules adopted include strychnine, prostaglandin, progesterone, vitamin B12, erythronolide B, monensin, endiandric acids, biotin, hirsutene, capnellene, methyl homosecodaphniphyllate, calicheamicin and more.

Nicaolaou has done an incredible favor to make the strategies more understandable and accesible. For each molecule, the total synthesis begins with a thorough retrosynthetic analysis. Sometimes more than one retrosynthetic routes are introduced in order to show the possibilities of finding the most efficient synthesis.

Nicoloau then meticulously describle each step in synthesis with referral to important named reactions such as the Noyori assymmetric reduction, Luche reaction, Johnson Claisen rearrangement, Julia olefination, etc. With such didatic skill and clarity, Nicoloau has taught the gist of synthesizing complex molecules from commercially available building blocks. A great way to use the book and learn organic synthesis would be to write down every single step on a separate piece of paper and understand what each step does in the overall total synthesis. The synthesis steps and important reactions are presented in schemes with blue background sections, with emphasis on asymmetric synthesis, catalysts, stereochemistry and mechanism. Major reaction intermediates are presented at the margin.

Chemical synthesis relies heavily on chemical literature research. Nicoloau also provides numerous references in each total synthesis for further studies and consultation. Nicoloau has made organic synthesis fun and approachable. Every synthetic chemist should own a copy of Nicolaou.

This is an impressive collection of 36 syntheses. Each chapter describes a different synthesis. Included are a retrosynthetic analysis(very helpful for those learning the art of total synthesis), the total synthesis(explaining key steps along the way and why the reaction gave the products it did) and then some conclusions. The appendix in chapter 22, on Catalytic Asymetric Reactions is very useful. If you bought "The Logic of Chemical Synthesis' and were dissapointed, don't let that scare you from this book. It is well worth the price.

Nicolaou has written the book that Corey's _Logic of Chemical Synthesis_ should have been. The total synthesis of over thirty natural products is described in great detail, outlining the strategy and retrosynthetic analysis for each compound. The book begins with Woodward's ground-breaking synthesis of strychnine (in 1954!) and culminates with one of Nicolaou's own great triumphs, the synthesis of brevetoxin B. The other syntheses presented, including vitamin B12, ginkgolide B, and Taxol, are no less impressive. This book is truly inspiring; it is the kind of book that will induce bright young students to enter the field of organic chemistry. It is exciting reading, and I hope it will be but the first in a series. Congratulations, Nicolaou, on an excellent book. (For a sample of the tone of the book, see Nicolaou's recent article on the synthesis of brevetoxin B in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, issue 35, pages 589-607, 1996)

If you want to do (total) synthesis yourself it is an absolute must to read this book. Not the book itself, but the synthesis described are brilliant. Even if some of them are 'old' it is great to see the progress synthetic chemistry made within the last 20-30 years.

A graduate student strongly recommended me to get this book and start reading. At first intimidated by the complex synthesis steps and unfamiliar reagents, the Nicolaou synthesis book is a must read for organic students and chemists. Unlike "The Logic of Chemical Synthesis" (no doubt is also well-written), Nicolaou's "Classics in Total Synthesis" is a pictorial account of some of the representative syntheses of natural products. The detailed, well-written text discusses total synthesis work of chemists such as Heathcock, Corey, Evans, and Nicolaou himself. Each synthesis is preceded with the historical background and significance. A detailed synthetic scheme is included with detailed discussion of each intemediate and inidvidual step. Reader will surely learn a great deal by working through each synthetic step with a pencil and paper. While most advanced organic texts discuss the typical traditional methods in synthetic chemistry, Nicolaou discusses practical approach to synthesizing complex stereospecific compounds. Corey's "The Logic of Chemical Syntheses" might have the similar scope in organic synthesis, yet Nicolaou will be more reader-friendly especially for beginning students in organic synthesis. Nicolaou presents not only the tactics of the subject, it also brings out the beauty of the art of total synthesis. A good read!

Im not big on writing reviews, and hardly ever do. I just wanted to add to the previous reviewers comments and say that this is hands down the best organic text available today. I fell in love with it when I used it for a presentation. The way it is written makes it read like a story. The explanations are comprehensive and clear. Every time I had a question, he promptly answered it in his book. I am jealous of his students who get to work for him. He must be a fantastic teacher!

It is an amazing work detailing many of the greatest accomplishments attained in organic chemistry. As a student, I recommend it highly.

Nicolaou has written the book that Corey's _Logic of Chemical Synthesis_ should have been. The total synthesis of over thirty natural products is described in great detail, outlining the strategy and retrosynthetic analysis for each compound. The book begins with Woodward's ground-breaking synthesis of strychnine (in 1954!) and culminates with one of Nicolaou's own great triumphs, the synthesis of brevetoxin B. The other syntheses presented, including vitamin B12, ginkgolide B, and Taxol, are no less impressive. This book is truly inspiring; it is the kind of book that will induce bright young students to enter the field of organic chemistry. It is exciting reading, and I hope it will be but the first in a series. Congratulations, Nicolaou, on an excellent book. (For a sample of the tone of the book, see Nicolaou's recent article on the synthesis of brevetoxin B in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, issue 35, pages 589-607, 1996)