Mechanisms in organic reactions
Richard A. Jackson
Cambridge: RSC 2004 | Pp192 | £14.95 | ISBN0 854 04642 9
Reviewed by Andrew Parsons

Understanding organic reaction mechanisms is an important subject that undergraduates often find difficult. This addition to the Royal Society of Chemistry's Tutorial chemistry text series starts by introducing the basics of reaction mechanisms, covering kinetics, transition states, nucleophiles, electrophiles, radicals and finally, molecular reactions involving cyclic transition states. In essence, the book includes similar material to the classic Guidebook to mechanism in organic chemistry by Sykes and so chemistry undergraduates of all years may find this book useful. 

In this book there is an emphasis on presenting the reader with the tools of the trade of physical organic chemistry (including the Hammett equation, kinetic isotope effects and the Hammond postulate) and it is good to see that experimental data are given to help explain reaction mechanisms. There are some clear, annotated diagrams, which elegantly summarise some important concepts. However, students may find the approach a little dry and perhaps putting some of the mechanisms into contexts could have helped in this respect. 

There are some minor errors but the layout looks good and students will appreciate that the aims and key points of each chapter are highlighted in boxes. I was also pleased to see worked examples included, together with several problems with answers given at the back of the book. However, whether these strengths are enough to convince students to buy this book in addition to one of the blockbuster organic textbooks is debatable.