Organic Reaction vs. Synthetic Method

This method is universally applicable and therefore it is quite appropriate to represent it in the terminology of a black box as follows, without any reference to the details  

The discovery of a new reaction may occur merely owing to a lucky chance or rigorous reasoning and typically it refers to a few isolated examples. However, it is always followed by a series of systematic investigations aimed at elucidation of the scope and limitations of the applicability of this reaction to a wide array of compounds. Without these studies it is hardly possible to make any assessments about the true value of the newly discovered reaction as a synthetic method. 

A multitude of other organic reactions imply the utilization of inorganic reagents insoluble in regular organic solvents. These reactions became viable owing to the use of new and unusual catalysts, such as 17, which are usually referred to as phase transfer catalysts. The ramifications of phase transfer phenomena are numerous and some of the most important will be discussed later in Section 4.2. For the moment we see that the solution of a purely technical problem resulted in a tremendous enrichment of the synthetic arsenal by broadening the applicability of old and well-known reactions. 

Thus the obligatory characteristic of a synthetically meaningful reaction is an unambiguity of its reaction course. It is not enough that a given transformation yields the desired product. It is mandatory that the desired product predominates in a mixture of products or, even better, is formed as an exclusive 

CjHsOH + (CsHeIjO -f (C2H6)2S04 main product 

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