New York: Springer, 2002

In “The Art of Writing Reasonable Organic Reaction Mechanisms,” Robert B. Grossman teaches readers to formulate a possible mechanism for an organic chemical conversion. The book is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students specializing in the areas of organic chemistry, biochemistry, inorganic chemistry and pharmacology. 

Grossman utilizes examples from current organic chemistry literature and his own research program to illustrate the patterns underlying the reaction mechanisms of organic compounds.  The text is enlivened with “Common Error Alerts” and numerous examples of both what to do and what not to do when drawing an organic reaction mechanism. 

Robert B. Grossman is a professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky. He received his doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992.  His areas of research include methodology development, total synthesis and biosynthesis.