Physical-organic chemistry

Hammett s view of the scope of the subject is summarized in the rarely mentioned sub-title of his book Reaction Rates, Equilibria, and Mechanisms . His conception of the subject still defines its core, but requires amplifying certain other topics are now usually deemed part of physical organic chemistry. Thus the rationalization of the experimental results of studies of reaction rates, equilibria, and mechanisms involves the application of the electronic theory of the structures and reactions of organic molecules, either in its early forms as developed by Robinson, Ingold, and others on the basis of the electron-pair covalent bond, or in its later forms involving quantum mechanical treatments. 

It is appropriate to quote the statement of Aims and scope , that appears inside the front cover of each issue of the Journal of Physical Organic Chemistry  

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A highly readable account of early efforts to apply the independent-particle approximation to problems of organic chemistry. Although more accurate computational methods have since been developed for treating all of the problems discussed in the text, its discussion of approximate Hartree-Fock (semiempirical) methods and their accuracy is still useful. Moreover, the view supplied about what was understood and what was not understood in physical organic chemistry three decades ago is... 

L.P. Hammett, Physical Organic Chemistry, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1940. 

Zollinger, H. (1964). In Advances in Physical Organic Chemistry, vol. 2, ed. V. Gold. London Academic Press. 

Hammett, L. P. (1940). Physical Organic Chemistry. New York McGraw-Hill. 

A number of glossaries of terms and symbols used in the several branches of chemistry have been pubHshed. They include physical chemistry (102), physical—organic chemistry (103), and chemical terminology (other than nomenclature) treated in its entirety (104). lUPAC has also issued recommendations in the fields of analytical chemistry (105), coUoid and surface chemistry (106), ion exchange (107), and spectroscopy (108), among others. 

This explosion in steroid chemistry both stimulated and was aided by the development of conformational analysis (10). Many basic, physical organic chemistry principles were estabUshed as a result of the study of the logically predictable chemistry of the rigid perhydro-l,2-cyclopentenophenanthrene, steroid skeleton. 

N. Issacs, Physical Organic Chemistry, Longman Scientific and Technical, U.K., 1987. 

Solvent effects on chemical equilibria and reactions have been an important issue in physical organic chemistry. Several empirical relationships have been proposed to characterize systematically the various types of properties in protic and aprotic solvents. One of the simplest models is the continuum reaction field characterized by the dielectric constant, e, of the solvent, which is still widely used. Taft and coworkers [30] presented more sophisticated solvent parameters that can take solute-solvent hydrogen bonding and polarity into account. Although this parameter has been successfully applied to rationalize experimentally observed solvent effects, it seems still far from satisfactory to interpret solvent effects on the basis of microscopic infomation of the solute-solvent interaction and solvation free energy. 

J. Hine, Physical Organic Chemistry, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1962, pp. 95-98 P. R. Wells, Linear Free Energy Relationships, Academic Press, New York, 1968, pp. 35-44 M. Charton, Prog. Phys. Org. Chem. 10 81 (1973) S. Ehrenson, R. T. C. Brownlee, and R. W. Taft, Prog. Phys. Org. Chem. 10 1 (1973). 

C D. Ritchie, Physical Organic Chemistry, Marcel Deldcer, New bric, 1975. K. B. Wibag, Physical Organic Chemistry, Wiley, New Yoik, 1964. 

Isaacs, N.S. (1995J Physical Organic Chemistry, Longman Higher Educational, Harlow. 

Ritchie, C.D. Physical Organic Chemistry The Fundamental Concepts Marcel Dekker New York, 1975. 

Hammett, L.P. Physical Organic Chemistry McGraw-Hill New York, 1940 Chapter Vll. 

Wiberg, K.B. Physical Organic Chemistry Wiley New York, 1964 pp 408-9. 

Kosower. E.M. An Introduction to Physical Organic Chemistry" Wiley New York. 1968 Part 2. 

Many books on chemical kinetics have been published, but few of these are devoted solely or even primarily to solution phase chemical kinetics. Textbooks of physical organic chemistry must deal with solution chemistry, but kinetics is only one part of their subject. From my teaching experience I have concluded that there is no current text that meets the needs, as I interpret them, of the student and practitioner of solution chemical kinetics. 

S. S. Shark, H. B. Schlegel, and S. Wolfe, Theoretical Aspects of Physical Organic Chemistry The Sf,i2 Mechanism. Wiley, New York, 1992. 

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