Orbital Symmetry and Reaction Mechanism : The OCAMS View

Criteria of orbital symmetry conservation had a profound influence on mechanistic thinking in organic chemistry and are still commonly applied today. The author presents a coherent set of operational rules for the analysis of scope and reliability. It is written from the viewpoint of Orbital Correspondence Analysis in Maximum Symmetry (OCAMS). Its advantage lies in its provision of a coherent overview of the relation between symmetry and mechanism. For reasons of consistency, the book remains within the framework of molecular orbital theory. Front Matter....Pages I-XXII Front Matter....Pages 1-1 The Woodward-Hoffmann Rules in Perspective....Pages 3-26 Front Matter....Pages 27-27 Atoms and Atomic Orbitals....Pages 29-55 Diatomic Molecules and Their Molecular Orbitals....Pages 57-76 Formation and Deformation of Polyatomic Molecules....Pages 77-105 Front Matter....Pages 107-107 Electrocyclic Reactions and Related Rearrangements....Pages 109-133 Cycloadditions and Cycloreversions I. [2+2]-Cycloaddition....Pages 135-159 Cycloadditions and Cycloreversions II. Beyond [2+2]....Pages 161-186 Degenerate Rearrangements....Pages 187-212 Front Matter....Pages 213-213 Electron Spin....Pages 215-242 Excited State Reactions....Pages 243-265 Into Inorganic Chemistry....Pages 267-279 Back Matter....Pages 281-310