Modern Physical Organic Chemistry

This is the first modern textbook, written in the 21st century, to make explicit the many connections between physical organic chemistry and critical fields such as organometallic chemistry, materials chemistry, bioorganic chemistry, and biochemistry. In the latter part of the 20th century, the field of physical organic chemistry went through dramatic changes, with an increased emphasis on noncovalent interactions and their roles in molecular recognition, supramolecular chemistry, and biology;  the development of new materials with  novel structural features; and the use of computational methods. Contemporary chemists must be just as familiar with these newer fields as with the more established classical topics.

This completely new landmark text is intended to bridge that gap. In addition to covering thoroughly the core areas of physical organic chemistry – structure and mechanism – the book will escort the practitioner of organic chemistry into a field that has been thoroughly updated. The foundations and applicabilities of modern computational methods are also developed.

Written by two distinguished researchers in this field, Modern Physical Organic Chemistry can serve as a text for a year-long course targeted to advanced undergraduates or first-year graduate students, as well as for a variety of shorter courses on selected aspects of the field. It will also serve as a landmark new reference text, and as an introduction to many of the more advanced topics of interest to modern researchers.