Customer Reviews

Stereochemistry of Organic Compounds

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a classic book by a world-renowned expert. I am a practicing organic chemist, and this book has never failed to answer even the most obscure questions I have had about stereochemistry. It is highly recommended as an indispensible reference on the subject.

I bought this book about 5 months ago while taking an advanced organic synthesis class. I wasn't sure if it would be of help. But, there aren't many comparable stereochemistry books available.

The money was well spent!

If there's a common question regarding stereochemistry, it'll have the answer in there. If there's an obscure question regarding stereochemistry, it'll also have the answer. Kudos to the authors for cramming so much information into a text.

When I've needed more material than the text presents, ample references are provided. Bear in mind, I'm talking about exact experimental procedures, and not general experiments. The authors cover experiments, their significance, and references. When I've needed to duplicate an experiment, I check the references.

I have as yet to come across a stereochemistry question that the authors haven't addressed. This is surprising, since I'm knee deep in stereochemistry. Presently, the book in on my desk, not my bookshelf.

This is still the single best book for learning stereochemistry, which is one of the most fundamental aspects of organic structure and synthesis, and it became an instant classic when it was first published in the 60s. Stereochemistry is a topic that comes up again and again in an important manner no matter what kind of research in chemistry you are doing. Ernest Eliel was probably the foremost expert in stereochemistry of his time, and even now, there is nothing which compares with his book. Luckily, he has updated it periodically. It now includes an excellent section on stereoselective synthesis, which drives research in both academics and industry. The earlier chapters on the stereochemistry of acyclic and cyclic systems (especially six membered rings) are updated and still remain the clearest explanations of conformation and reactivity that I have seen. They contain very basic and extremely important concepts which drive the reactivity of organic molecules in any reaction, including those in biological systems. I have this book on my shelf for six years now, and so do most of my professors. And we find that no matter what kind of reesearch question we are pondering, we often keep coming back to 'Eliel'. An indispensable reference.

I was not pleased with the organization of this book. It is certainly not a book that one would read more than a page here and a page there at one time, yet this book is over 1200 pages long. To me the best book for organic stereochemistry is Bernard Testa's "Principles of Organic Stereochemistry". In that book, unlike in Eliel's book, you can actually find what it is you are looking for. I would go so far as to say that Eliel's book is really not all that good of a referece book either. I have had numerous experiences from which I draw this conclusion. For example, I once needed to know how one assigns the configuration to an axially-asymmetric biphenyl compound. I first went to Eliel's book, because some people call this book "The Bible". However, after unsuccessfully searching the index/book for over 30 minutes to find the information I needed, I went to my trusty paperback copy of Testa's 248-page book. Sure enough, I had my answer in 5 minutes. Eliel may be the guru of stereochemistry, but if you value your own time, his big book should not be the only stereochemistry book on your bookshelf.

I am a student in UBC. This book was recommended by the professor saying that it must be the bible for this subject, covering all!