Published in : Brooks/Cole
ISBN : 978-0-495-39144-9
File type : pdf
File Size : 15 mb
Language : English
Description
I’ve taught organic chemistry many times for many years, and it has often struck me what a disconnect there is between the interests and expectations of me—the teacher—and the interests and expectations of those being taught— my students. I love the logic and beauty of organic chemistry, and I want to pass that feeling on to others. My students, however, seem to worry primarily
about getting into medical school. That may be an exaggeration, but there is also a lot of truth in it. All of us who teach organic chemistry know that the large majority of our students—90% or more, including many chemistry majors—are interested primarily in medicine, biology, and other life sciences rather than in pure chemistry. But if we are primarily teaching future physicians, biologists, biochemists, and others in the life sciences (not to mention the occasional lawyer and businessperson), why do we continue to teach the way we do? Why do we spend so much time discussing details of topics that interest research chemists but have no connection to biology? Wouldn’t the limited amount of time we have be better spent paying more attention to the organic chemistry of living organisms and less to the organic chemistry of the research laboratory? I
believe so, and I have written this book, Organic Chemistry with Biological Applications, to encourage others who might also be thinking that the time has come to try doing things a bit differently. This is, first and foremost, a textbook on organic chemistry, and you will find that almost all of the standard topics are here. Nevertheless, my guiding principle in writing this text has been to emphasize organic reactions and topics that are relevant to biological chemistry.
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