The past twenty years has seen an explosion of interest in free radicals, as their pivotal role in both chemistry and biology has come to light. This introductory textbook aims to capture this excitement for advanced level undergraduates, with particular emphasis on the importance of radical reactions in organic synthesis. The book provides a gentle, stepwise introduction to the subject, taking the student from the basic principles of radical reactions through to their applications in industry and their role in biological and environmental processes, allowing the relevance of the subject to be grasped more easily. Suitable for advanced level undergraduates and postgraduates in chemistry and biochemistry, the book will also be invaluable for research level scientists requiring an update in the area.

Free radicals constitute the most frequently used class of reaction intermediates in organic chemistry. This study describes the structure and reactivity of free radicals, and explores their role in both natural phenomena and in the design of new reaction pathways.

This book describes the experience over 25 years of the senior author with the chemistry of organic free radicals. It begins with a mechanistic study of industrial importance on the pyrolysis of chlorinated alkanes. It continues with a theory on the biosynthesis of phenolate derived alkaloids involving phenolate radical coupling. There follows 20 years of practical work to prove the theory correct, especially in the case of morphine alkaloids. The book then describes the work on nitrile photolysis (Barton reaction) which involved the invention of new radical chemistry leading to a simple synthesis of the important hormone, aldosterone. There follows a description of the invention of an important new method for the deoxygenation of biologically important molecules, especially sugars and nucleosides, using radical chemistry applied to thiocarbonyl derivatives. Some years later, in a logical extension to carboxylic acids, another new reaction was invented which provides carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and other radicals under mild conditions. A final chapter summarizes recent applications of thiocarbonyl group derived radical reactions by other authors.