Understandings

Essential idea: Organic synthesis is the systematic preparation of a compound from a widely available starting material or the synthesis of a compound via a synthetic route that often can involve a series of different steps.

The synthesis of an organic compound stems from a readily available starting material via a series of discrete steps. Functional group interconversions are the basis of such synthetic routes.

Retro-synthesis of organic compounds.

Applications and skills

Deduction of multi-step (not more than 4 steps) synthetic routes given starting reagents and the product(s).