Coo coo ca-choo, Mrs. Fieser
If you remember, three months ago I asked you to help me to fill my MP3 player with whatever song or album you reckoned as the most appropriate for a chemist's iPod.
Today, for the first special episode of Laboratoire Organique, I'm going to try something which has never been done in the scientific blogosphere. This time I give you the chance to tell me how to do part of one of my forthcoming, organic chem exam!
Let me explain. This is one of the latest editions of the famous "Fiesers' Reagents for Organic Synthesis", created by Mr. napalm Louis Fieser and his wife and assistant Mary.
The lab course I've described was completed by a series of lectures, covering the general themes, linked to the practical work in an organic chemistry lab. All this amount of information provides the basis for what will be my very last organic chemistry exam.
However, there is something lectures didn't cover, but we are supposed to brilliantly master: in a nutshell, our professor said any chemist must have at least know how Mr. and Mrs. Fieser's book looks like and how to fully utilize it, whenever needed.
So, we were told to learn by heart the five monographs (only acids and/or bases, though: the number is paramount) that we liked the most and discuss them during the exam, giving examples of the use of that reagent through the syntheses described on the book. However, because I can't make my mind about which acids or bases are the coolest ones, I now ask you to tell me what I should choose: you don't have to give any explaination, just a list of your five, favourite reagents.
I'm looking forward to your replies.
well where to start, 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) is absolutely magic stuff, and lots of nice easy arrow pushing for a final exam. and though it is less cool, its hard to find a procedure that doesn't have triphenylphosphine in it (but maybe outside your scope?)
Quinuclidine: Great sterically unhindred base for stuff like the Baylis-Hillman reaction.
Acid: SbF5 in FSO3H, "magic acid", revolutionary stuff which made the isolation of carbocations possible.
(Don't know if this is in Fieser though)