Preface

The structural characterization of organic compounds is a means of understanding the materials at the molecular level.Structures determine the functions of materials.So structural analysis is an important part of organic chemistry.In the past， the chemical method was mainly used to determine the structure of organic compounds； however， it took a long time.For example， though morphine was isolated from opium in 1805 by a German scientist Friedrich， its structure was identified in 1952 by classic chemical analysis.In 1820， quinine was isolated from cinchona by French researchers Pierre and Joseph； however， extensive and classic chemical studies led to elucidation of the structure of quinine in 1944.The shortcomings of traditional chemical methods include less accurate， a long time， and a large amount of materials （several grams）.

With the development of modern sciences， techniques， e.g.Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy （UV）， infrared spectroscopy （IR）， and nuclear magnetic resonance （NMR） based on the interactions between molecules with individual electromagnetic wave were developed.Another spectrum， mass spectrometry， though it is a fragmentation spectrum of the molecule， it can provide molecular weight and fragmentation information， and assist the structural determination of organic compound.These modern spectral methods provide very accurate and rich structural information.It takes less time and only need a small amount of materials （about 10 mg） to finish the structure determinations.

In most books of organic structural analysis， single-crystal X-ray diffraction is not included.X-ray crystallography is a technique used for determining the three dimensional structures of compounds through the diffraction of X-ray by single crystals.Though it is not a typical spectral method， it is widely used in structural analysis， especially structures with new carbon skeletons.Furthermore， it can provide detailed conformation and configuration information.Thus， this approach is also included in this book.

The book provides comprehensive knowledge of structural analysis of organic compounds.It is divided into seven parts.The first part is the general introduction of spectral analysis， the second to the sixth parts introduce the principles and applications of UV-Vis Spectroscopy， Infrared Spectroscopy， Mass Spectrometry， Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Single Crystal X-ray Diffraction， and the last chapter is comprehensive analysis of organic compounds.

Thought of compiling

1）During the past several decades， techniques including Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy （UV）， Infrared spectroscopy （IR）， Mass spectrometry （MS）， nuclear magnetic resonance （NMR） and X-ray diffraction （X-ray） have been used as the dominant methods for the characterization of chemical structures of organic compounds.The aim of this book is to provide a comprehensive and contemporary introduction to the principals of these diverse and fascinating techniques and their applications in structural analysis.All readers will be trained in interpreting individual spectra and sets of spectra obtained by different methods.It’s convenient and rapid to elucidate most of structures of organic compounds using the complementary information from the five types of approaches.

2）Each chapter is accompanied by a large number of exercises and the corresponding answers are listed in the appendix.The practice of these exercises can deepen the understanding of the knowledge in each chapter.

3） Key references were provided so that the readers can further explore the terminology ad concept listed in this book.

4）This book is mainly in English.However， all the key terms of terminology in annotated in Chinese， and the captions of the Figures and Tables are put in both English and Chinese.It is convenient for the beginners to understand the contents of this book.

Target readership

1）The book is very informative， and is suitable for undergraduates and graduate students majoring in pharmacy， chemistry and chemical engineering.It can also be used by teachers engaged in pharmacy and chemistry.

2）This book provides a detailed introduction of the major technologies in the field of organic structural analysis in English.It is very useful for the students planning to further their studies in overseas and to publish papers regarding organic structural analysis in international journals.

Suggestions when using this textbook

This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to UV-VIS， IR， MS， NMR （¹H NMR， ¹³C NMR， 2D， solid state） and X-ray diffraction.First， students are required to learn the basic principles of these technologies， to grasp the structural information that each technology can provide， and to learn to use a combination of these techniques to identify structures of unknown compounds.Among them， the structural information provided by each technology is the focus， and the basic principle is most difficult part.Secondly， the content of the spectral analysis course is relatively abstract.It is difficult for students to understand the principle of each technique and the corresponding instruments.All beginners will feel boring and difficult to understand.It is recommended that readers actively participate in the corresponding experimental classes or go to the corresponding lab when studying this textbook.Through visiting and learning in the experimental class or lab， the readers will gain a basic idea about the generation process of these spectra， and establish a reasonable link between theory and practice.Again， the textbook should be read and prepared before class.During the class， the readers need to listen to the teacher’s explanation carefully.After the class， the readers should review the textbook again with the help of the teacher’s courseware.

Learning method

The textbook “Structural Analysis of Organic Compounds” includes many contents.In order to achieve the expected learning results， readers are recommended to use the following methods：

1） Step by step

This textbook is divided into seven chapters.When you study each chapter， first look at the catalogue and find out what is included in this chapter.Then open the textbook and quickly browse the contents of this chapter， and then read carefully to master the contents.

2） Consolidate the foundation

The textbook “Structural Analysis of Organic Compounds” is difficult.If there is no relevant foundation， it is difficult to understand the principals， especially some professional terminologies， and it will affect the progress of learning.Therefore， before the textbook is previewed， readers should be given appropriate basic learning according to their own situation， especially the knowledge of organic chemistry.

3） Keep writing notes

It is good to keep writing notes when you read.Notes can help readers to grasp the key points， understand the content， and greatly improve learning efficiency.

4） Do exercises

During the course of learning this course， you can use the exercises in the textbook to test after the completion of a chapter.

This textbook is used for teaching and learning only.Due to the rush of time and limited editorial level， the mistakes are inevitable， please inform me when you have corrections.

Editor： Ren-Wang Jiang

In Jinan University

Nov.2018