Organic synthesis

As an independent discipline, it began to take shape after the famous synthesis of urea ( urea ) from a typical inorganic substance (ammonium cyanate), carried out by the German chemist Friedrich Wöhler (Wöhler, Friedrich, 1800-1882) in 1828. ^[1] This synthesis put an end to the dispute with vitalists who believed that organic matter could be produced only at the expense of the vitality of biological organisms.

After the formulation by the Russian chemist Alexander Butlerov (1828–1886) of the fundamentals of the structural theory of the structure of organic molecules, a powerful impetus for development was obtained, which made it possible to systematically synthesize organic molecules of a given structure.

Further development of organic synthesis occurs in parallel with the development of science, organic chemistry . The successes of theories of the structure of atoms and molecules, chemical bonds, quantum chemistry, kinetics, etc. contributed to the development of synthesis methods. On the other hand, a number of complex syntheses of substances known in nature ( acetic acid , indigo , aspirin , etc.), and having no analogues ( polyhedranes , many organoelemental compounds , synthetic antibiotics, etc.), influenced related sections of science (chemistry of biologically active substances, pharmacology , physics and solid state chemistry, etc.), showing the independence and high value of this area of ​​organic chemistry.

Organic synthesis went beyond laboratories after the development of chemical technology and the recognition of the industrial importance of products: carboxylic acids , polymers , solvents , dyes , etc. - substances whose production volume is characterized by numbers with many zeros.

The rapid growth in the number of syntheses has led to the formation of its individual independent directions, characterized by specific features: raw materials ( oil synthesis ), techniques ( acid catalysis ), physical effects ( plasmosynthesis ), the nature of the products ( organometallic synthesis ), the purpose of the products (synthesis of biologically active substances ), complexity ( subtle organic synthesis ) or, conversely, simplicity ( "click" synthesis ), phase state of the medium (gas, liquid and solid-phase syntheses ), temperature ( cryosynthesis , thermolysis ) etc..

The need to navigate a huge number of synthetic techniques led to the creation of developed information systems for their search and description, the proposal of reagents and synthetic equipment

The implementation of organic synthesis includes the following scientific, organizational and technological stages: setting the structure of the target molecule, consideration of possible synthesis schemes, selection of products, equipment, chemical reactions, isolation of intermediate and target products, their analysis and purification, modification, safety measures, environmental control , economic analysis, etc.

The final choice of the synthesis method occurs after a comprehensive comprehensive analysis of these stages and their optimization.

The following is a far from exhaustive list of organic synthesis reactions classified by the change in the chemical class of the synthesized molecule:

• Hydrogenation is the addition of hydrogen via a multiple bond.
• Dehydrogenation - the removal of hydrogen with the formation of multiple bonds.
• Hydration - the addition of water in a multiple bond with the formation of alcohol .
• Dehydration - the removal of water with the formation of a multiple bond.
• Alkylation is the exchange of hydrogen for a hydrocarbon radical .
• Acylation - the introduction of a carboxylic acid residue ( acyl group ) into a molecule
  • Acetylation - a special case of acylation, the introduction into the molecule of the residue of acetic acid (acetyl group)
• Cyclization is the formation of a cyclic structure in a molecule.
• Halogenation - the introduction of a halogen atom in a molecule by exchanging hydrogen for halogen or attaching via multiple bonds.
• Nitration is the exchange of hydrogen for the NO ₂ group .
• Etherification - the interaction of an organic acid with alcohol to produce esters.
• Oxidation - in the narrow sense - the introduction of oxygen into the molecule, in the broad - any change in the molecule, leading to an increase in the degree of oxidation of carbon, for example, dehydrogenation, increasing the multiplicity of the carbon-carbon bond.
• Sulphonation is the exchange of hydrogen for a sulfo group.
• Polymerization , etc.

Often organic reactions are a combination of two or more of the simpler reactions mentioned, for example: “oxyhalogenation”, “hydrohalogenation”, etc. Unique names can be assigned to the names of the chemists who discovered them - Grignard synthesis, Belousov reaction, etc.

Other criteria can also be used as a basis for classification - the reaction mechanism (substitution, exchange), technological technique ( cracking ), etc.

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