What are the early developmental foundations or organic chemistry? I.E. when did it become possible to start synthesizing molecules found in plants,
and nature.
What skills are necessary to develop a synthesis
What skills are needed to predict and understand reaction mechanisms Bert - 7-2-2015 at 06:45
Quote:
What are the early developmental foundations or organic chemistry? I.E. when did it become possible to start synthesizing molecules found in plants,
and nature.
"I cannot, so to say, hold my chemical water and must tell you that I can make urea without thereby needing to have kidneys, or anyhow, an animal,
be it human or dog".
-Friedrich Wöhler
[Edited on 7-2-2015 by Bert]AvBaeyer - 7-2-2015 at 20:59
Yttrium2,
You ask a question that has fascinated me for many years. The truth is that there is no clear starting point for organic chemistry. The early
developmental foundations or organic chemistry are intertwined with discovery of methods for determining the exact atomic weights of the elements, the
development of methods of chemical analysis, the evolution of various theories on chemical structure and bonding, and the ideas of structural organic
chemistry which resulted from Kekule's proposal of the benzene ring structure. The foundations of organic synthesis or more correctly the descriptive
reactions of organic compounds were laid down in the mid to late 1800's as a result of the great emphasis on the chemistry of dyes and related
coloring matter. The Kekule structure for benzene (which was not without controversy) was the key that unlocked the door to understanding the
chemistry of aromatic compounds. This allowed organic synthesis to proceed on a more rational basis.
As for natural products, several of the early dye syntheses were in fact natural product syntheses: indigo and anthroquinones, for example. (The
commercialization of these syntheses had enormous economic effects in England, France and Germany.) The chemistry involved in the synthesis of a
multitude of azo dyes provided the basis for many of the textbook organic reactions we use today. Dye chemistry was the big chemical growth industry
of the period. From dye chemistry emerged a greater understanding of the reactions of organic compounds which led to the emergence of a pharmaceutical
industry as well as an emphasis on the synthesis of natural products such as steroids and alkaloids.
If you want to dig into all of this I recommend the following books which, however, you will have to hunt for:
"A History of Chemistry" by F.J. Moore, McGraw-Hill, 3rd edition, 1939. This book is part of "The International Chemical Series" and is one of the
best. There may be later editions of this work.
"A Short History of Chemistry" by J.R. Partington. Partington also has a multivolume set on chemical history which is available from time to time
though expensive.
As to your other questions, the most important skill you can develop is an inquiring mind and a passion for the science. You need to acquire a sound
grounding in basic chemical principles in the realms of general chemistry, physical chemistry as well as organic chemistry. In the meantime, if you
want to get a taste for how syntheses are "designed" and executed, try to find a copy of
"Organic Synthesis" by Robert E Ireland in the Prentice-Hall Foundations of Modern Organic Chemistry Series (1969)
In the same series are introductory books on reaction mechanisms:
"The Investigation of Organic Reactions" by Ross Stewart
"Ionic Aliphatic Reactions" by William H. Saunders
"Aromatic Substitution Reactions" by Leon M. Stock
There are several other books in this series which you should be able to find on the internet all of which are aimed at the upper division / advanced
undergraduate level.
