Basic Organic Chemistry for the Life Sciences

This textbook is designed for students of biology, molecular biology, ecology,medicine, agriculture, forestry, and other professions where the knowledge of organic chemistry plays an important role. The work may also be of interest to non-professionals as well as to teachers in high schools. The book consists of 13 chapters that cover the essentials of organic chemistry, including the basic principles of structure and constitution of organic compounds, the elements of nomenclature, the concepts of the nature of chemical bonds,  introductions in NMR and IR spectroscopy, the concepts and main classes of the organic reaction mechanisms, the reactions and properties of common classes or organic compounds, and the introduction to the chemistry of the natural organic products followed by the basic principles of the reactions in living cells. 

This second edition includes revisions and suggestions made by the readers of the first edition and the author's colleagues. In addition, it includes substantial changes compared to the first edition. The chapter on Cycloaddition has been completed by including the other pericyclic reactions (sigmatropic rearrangements, electrocyclic reactions). The chapter on Organic Natural Products has been extended to include a new section covering the principles of organic synthesis. A new chapter, "Organic Supramolecular and Supermolecular Structures," is added. This chapter covers the basic knowledge about molecular recognition, supramolecular structures, and the mechanisms of enzyme-catalyzed reactions.