文档介绍：3003T Bruckner FM 5/23/01 11:51 AM Page xv
Foreword
We are at the start of a revolution in molecular science that will more profoundly
change our lives, our culture, indeed, our world than did the Industrial Revolution a
century ago. From the human genome project, the largest natural product characteri-
zation effort ever, to the search for the molecular signatures of life on other s,
this molecular revolution is creating an ever-expanding view of ourselves and our uni-
verse. At the core of this revolution is chemistry, the quintessential molecular science
within which anic chemistry, a discipline that will surely be the source of many
of the major advances in chemistry, biology, medicine, materials science, and environ-
mental science in the 21st century.
In his text anic chemistry, the translation of which has been impressively led
by Professors Harmata and Glaser, Professor Bruckner has masterfully addressed the
core concepts of the discipline, providing a rich tapestry of information and insight.
The student of anic chemistry will be well-served by the depth and
quality of this treatment. The underlying philosophy of this text is that much of chem-
istry can be understood in terms of structure, which in turn influences reactivity, ulti-
mately defining the higher order activities of synthesis. Whether one seeks to under-
stand nature or to create the new materials and medicines of the future, a key starting
point is thus understanding structure and mechanism.
Professor Bruckner addresses the interrelationship of structure and mechanism with
the rich insight of one schooled at the interface of anic chemistry and syn-
thesis. His treatment is impressively rigorous, integrated, and broad. He achieves breadth
through the careful selection of representative and fundamental reactive intermediates
and reactions. Rigor and integration derive from his disciplined adherence to structure,
orbital theory, and mechanism. The