Pericyclic Chemistry: Orbital Mechanisms and Stereochemistry is a complete guide to the topic that is ideal for graduate students, advanced undergraduate students and researchers in organic chemistry. An introduction to molecular orbital theory and relevant stereochemical concepts is provided as background, with all four classes of pericyclic reactions discussed and illustrated with orbital picture representations. Also included are chapters on cycloadditions, the most versatile class, and electrocyclic reactions, sigmatropic rearrangements and group transfer reactions. A separate chapter on the construction of correlation diagrams is also included, emphasizing a practical, hands on approach.
1. Molecular Orbitals 2. Stereochemical concepts 3. Pericyclic reactions: Introduction, classification and the Woodward-Hoffmann rules 4. Cycloadditions 1: Perturbation theory of reactivity, regioselectivity and periselectivity 5. Cycloadditions 2: Stereochemistry of [4+2] and [2+2] cycloadditions 6. Cycloadditions 3: Cheletropic, higher order and multicomponent cycloadditions 7. Electrocyclic reactions: Stereochemistry and torquoselectivity 8. Sigmatropic rearrangements 1: [1,j] Shifts 9. Sigmatropic rearrangements 2: [i,j] Shifts 10. Group transfer reactions 11. Correlation diagrams