Reduction in Organic Synthesis

A large number of organic syntheses involve reduction at some stage, says Ahluwalia (biomedical research, U. of Delhi, India), and he presents a comprehensive account of different types of reducing agents and their applications. Among the special types of organic compounds he considers are hydrocarbons, alcohols, phenols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids and their derivatives, nitro compounds, and nitriles. In most cases, he also describes the mechanism of the reactions involving reduction. Most of the reductions require solvents that are harmful to the environment, he concedes, so he also describes some reductions under benign conditions. The information could be useful to any student, researcher, or chemist who conducts organic synthesis. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Prof. V.K. Ahluwalia is a visiting faculty at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Delhi, India. He has also been associated with Prof. Herbert C. Brown, Nobel Laureate. His overall teaching experience is more than four decades.