Fully updated learning resource covering the concept of using natural product chemistry for strategies in asymmetric synthesis

The third edition of Asymmetric Synthesis of Natural Products introduces students to the rapidly growing field of natural products in organic chemistry, discussing the practical, mainly pharmacological, importance of selected compounds and emphasizing the target-oriented approach of organic synthesis which is key in industrial strategies. To aid in reader comprehension, the text includes key references and an Index of Compounds.

The textbook is based on two lecture courses (Asymmetric Synthesis & Asymmetric Synthesis of Natural Products), which the author has delivered more than 50 times over the past 20 years in Finland, the UK, Italy, and Greece. This third edition is fully updated from the earlier versions (published by Wiley in 1993 and 2012). The importance of natural products as truly renewable raw materials in sustainable chemistry and circular economy is illustrated through applications of e.g. organocatalysis, organometallic catalysis, and biocatalysis. The contents consist of traditional text supplemented with illustrations (such as chemical drawings and structural formulae). Three dimensional aspects are also discussed with the use of 3D renderings of structures for both reaction mechanisms (molecular modeling) and crystallographic data.

Sample topics covered in the textbook include:

• The foundations of asymmetric synthesis, including the theory and applications of individual asymmetric reactions
• Sustainable development, the circular economy, and use of renewable raw materials that have become prominent in many fields of science and technology
• Various natural product classes, including carbohydrates, amino acids, peptides, proteins, nucleosides, nucleotides, nucleic acids, and polyketides
• The properties of these natural product classes, including their structures, biosynthesis, and interrelationships, as well as examples of asymmetric syntheses and the practical value of these compounds

Asymmetric Synthesis of Natural Products is a comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date learning resource on the subject for advanced level undergraduate or early-stage graduate students. It is also useful for specialists already working in synthesis who wish to learn about asymmetric synthesis.