The Formation and Study of Certain Benzoins and Some of Their Derivatives

The Purpose of This Work The ability of certain substances to under-go additional reactions is the organic chemist\u27s primary criterion of unsaturation, and the three distinct types of organic compounds which meet this requirement constitute the great bulk of organic chemistry. In substances of the first type, unsaturation is associated with a strained ring structure and additional reactions result in ring opening. Cylopropane and ethylene oxide are examples. In substances of the second type, unsaturation is confined to a single atom and addition reactions result in an increase in valence of that atom. Triphenlymethyl and trimethylamine are examples. In substances of the third type, unsaturation is shared by two adjacent atoms. Ethylene, acetone, and benzaldehyde are examples. This las type of unsaturated compound is by far the most common of the three, and is the only type the author is interested in