The objectives of this course are to develop an understanding of the fundamental reaction types of organic chemistry, how these reactions are used in synthesis, and the role of organic synthesis in creating the compounds and materials used in modern society. The fundamental reaction types include addition to alkenes and alkynes, electrophilic and nucleophilic aromatic substitution, oxidation and reduction, nucleophilic addition to carbonyl compounds, free radical reactions, and cycloadditions. Reactions will be exemplified through syntheses used in research and industry.

The development of topic material will be based to a great extent on a "need to know" approach in which participants will be presented with a synthetic target and asked to develop ideas for producing it by consulting web/library sources. Emphasis will be placed on working out strategies for accessing the information needed to work out a rational synthesis. Examples to be explored include syntheses of antibiotics, anticancer drugs, detergents, old and new generation insect control agents, and condensation polymers, and the use of solid phase synthesis and combinatorial chemistry in drug discovery. Societal issues relating to the substances studied will also be explored.

Each participant will undertake an individualized project in which the synthesis of a compound or material of public interest will be examined through information searches, and the environmental, health, and/or economic consequences of use of the substance are analyzed.