Organic Synthesis Through Disconnections

Organic synthesis or chemical synthesis  is  the methodical assembly of organic compounds. Organic molecules have complex properties due to which they have myriad uses. Thus the design of synthesis in organic chemistry has evolved into a fascinating art form with new methods being developed almost everyday. Every synthesis must be designed to give good yields of the products in as few steps as possible. In addition, it must also compare favourably in terms of green conditions, time required and efficiency of steps.

Prof. E.J.Corey brought a more formal approach to synthesis design. This technique, known as retrosynthetic analysis focusses on  transforming a target molecule into simpler precursors. Thus the synthesis is planned backwards from the product, using standard rules. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1990 for this seminal work in organic synthesis.

The success of an organic chemist is to make newer and safer substitutes for the existing materials and synthesise new targets for hitherto unexplored uses. This course will explore synthesis of organic compounds through different disconnections following useful guidelines, use of functional groups, name reactions and easily available starting materials. It will also expose students to the synthesis of typical compounds, protection-deprotection protocols and strategies in synthesis.This course will help students to learn the rules that need to be applied and the various reactions already known that can be effectively used for designing synthesis. The course will involve extensive problem solving which will help students develop confidence in their ability to design organic synthesis.

This course is dedicated to Prof. Stuart Warren (1939-2020) who has written several textbooks on the subject and perhaps best known as one of the authors of the best-selling undergraduate text Organic Chemistry , which he wrote with his former students Jonathan Clayden and Nick Greeves, and fellow Cambridge lecturer Peter Wothers.

The project is supported by UNESCO as part of Open Education for Better World (OE4BW) and OpenEd Design - 2020. Prof. Vasudha Kamat and Dr. Jayashree Shinde are the Asia Hub coordinators of this programme and mentors for this course.