Reactive Intermediates in Organic Chemistry. Structure, Mechanism, and Reactions

Most reactions in organic chemistry do not proceed in a single step but rather take several steps to yield the desired product. In the course of these multi-step reaction sequences, short-lived intermediates can be generated that quickly convert into other intermediates, reactants, products or side products. As these intermediates are highly reactive, they cannot usually be isolated, but their existence and structure can be proved by theoretical and experimental methods. Using the information obtained, researchers can better understand the underlying reaction mechanism of a certain organic transformation and thus develop novel strategies for efficient organic synthesis. T…