The Wolff-Kishner Reduction and Related Reactions: Discovery and Development

The Wolff-Kishner Reduction and Related Reactions: Discovery and Development offers a detailed discussion of this reaction, its discoverers, and its development since its discovery. Derivative name reactions—including the Wharton and Shapiro reactions—are also discussed. The book is illustrated with examples from literature and corresponding references to the primary literature to aid further reading. It provides a comprehensive review of the century of chemistry that allows the reader to follow the development of this important synthetic reaction. In addition, it provides biographical details on the chemists who discovered and developed the reaction, thus adding a human dimension to the discussion.

Introduces Wolff and Kishner, the discoverers of the reaction, along with Huang Ming-Long, the developer of an important modification of the reaction Discusses the discovery of the reaction and the way that priority for the discovery was settled between Wolff and KishnerDiscusses, in depth, the development and usage of the reaction over the century, from its discovery, to its most recent applications and modifications in synthesisIncludes biographical materials on the chemists responsible for major derivative name reactions based on the Wolff-Kishner reduction

1. The Discoverers of the Reaction
2. Discovery and Priority
3. The First Two Decades: Mechanism and Early Use in Synthesis
4. To the End of World War II: Expanding the Use of the Reaction
5. After World War II
6. The Modern Wolff-Kishner Reduction
7. Use of the Reaction in Modern Synthesis