Why Bother with Disconnections

When you are ready to start, cover the first page with a card and pull it down to reveal the first frame. Read and act on that frame, then reveal frame 2 and so on. If you are unfamiliar with the disconnection approach, I suggest you read the introduction Why bother with disconnections so that you can see what I m driving at. Otherwise the first sections of the programme may seem rather pointless. 

The aim of this programme is that you should learn how to design an organic synthesis for yourself. Supposing you wanted to make this compound  

Here the first disconnection ( a) was of a C-N bond, the second ( b ) of a C-C bond taking us back to compounds (7) and (8)  

These are in fact standard disconnections which you will meet in sections G and C of the programme. The first part of the programme (Sections B to H) shows you how to use disconnections and which disconnections are good ones. The second part shows you how to choose between alternative series of disconnections to get good synthetic schemes. 

Disconnection An analytical operation, which breaks a bond and converts a molecule into a possible starting material. The reverse of a chemical reaction. Symbol = and a curved line drawn through the bond being broken. Called a dislocation by some people. 

FGI Functional Group Interconversion The operation of writing one functional group for another so that disconnection becomes possible. Again the reverse of a chemical reaction. Symbol with FGI written over it. 

Reagent A compound which reacts to give an intermediate in the planned synthesis or to give the target molecule itself. The synthetic equivalent of a synthon. 

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