Organic Syntheses

Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 147K words
Chapters: 15

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Organic Syntheses by James Bryant ConantAuthor: ,Language: English, Class: QD: Science: Chemistry, Release Date: Mar 1, 1998

Editor's review

This book is a volume of the classic organic synthesis laboratory manual Organic Syntheses, co-edited with James Bryant Conant and part of Project Gutenberg's open-access chemistry literature. Its core value lies in recording preparative methods for organic compounds through workable, reproducible experimental procedures; each synthesis focuses on a specific reaction, reagent quantities, and workup details, making it a typical text of the experimental chemistry tradition that "speaks through methods." As a public-domain eBook, the original text is freely available, suitable for comparing the operational logic of classic reactions and understanding the writing conventions and safety considerations of early organic synthesis experiments. It should not be read as a theoretical textbook but as an experimental archive: first identify the target product and reaction type, then check reagents, conditions, and yield records item by item, and appreciate the continuity of methodological transmission. It is also useful for the history of chemistry, experimental teaching, and literature retrieval training.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Chemistry students, for learning how classic organic synthesis procedures are written
Organic synthesis laboratory personnel, consulting early synthetic methods as methodological references
Enthusiasts of the history of science, examining the form of twentieth-century organic chemistry experimental literature
University instructors, using it as extended reading and literature-reading training material for laboratory courses

Not a good fit for

Readers with no chemistry background, who lack experimental safety and reagent knowledge and would find it hard to understand
Readers seeking systematic organic chemistry theory, as the book does not focus on theoretical exposition
Researchers expecting modern green synthesis or reviews of the latest methods
Readers needing a Chinese translation, as the original is in English with no accompanying translation

Reading tips

First read the table of contents and reaction-type index, and select entries relevant to current experiments for close reading
Annotate reagents, conditions, and workup item by item against the experimental procedures to form an operational checklist
Check reaction mechanisms against basic organic chemistry textbooks to avoid merely memorizing steps
Consult safety information while reading; never directly copy historical experimental operations

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for doing experiments directly?

Direct copying is not recommended. The book records historical experimental methods, and reagent toxicity, equipment conditions, and safety standards differ from today's laboratories. It can serve as a reference for methodological ideas and literature writing, but actual operations must be reviewed by an instructor and comply with current safety regulations.

Can someone without a chemistry background read this book?

The reading threshold is relatively high. The book extensively uses organic chemistry terminology, reagent names, and experimental procedure descriptions; readers lacking basic knowledge would find it hard to understand the reaction logic and the meaning of the steps. It is advisable to study a basic organic chemistry course before reading.

What is the difference between this book and a general organic chemistry textbook?

Textbooks focus on concepts, mechanisms, and systematic knowledge, whereas this book focuses on preparation procedures and experimental records for specific compounds and belongs to method-oriented literature. The two are complementary: textbooks provide an interpretive framework, and this book provides verifiable operational details and historical method samples.

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Project Gutenberg is not a single author but a nonprofit digital library founded by Michael Hart in 1971 and one of the world's earliest free ebook platforms. It relies on volunteers to digitize, proofread, and freely distribute public-domain works and is now operated by the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Its collection contains 2,692 works, mainly religious texts, epics, and story collections, including the King James Bible and the Douay-Rheims volumes, the epic Mahabharata, a literal translation of the Arabian Nights, and Danish editions of the Old and New Testaments. Public information is limited, and its nature is closer to a public-interest compiling and dissemination body; these texts are open to the public, easy to consult and circulate, and have had a profound influence on the spread of ebooks and the preservation of public-domain resources.