From an evaluation to increase the strength of electrophiles to their classification; the solvation issues; a review of the methods for studying superelectrophilicity including solution chemistry, spectroscopic studies and theoretical methods; this book – the first to be published on the subject – covers not only tools and methods for the organic chemistry, but also comprehensively reviews basics of this emerging field. With additional material on substituent effects in activation and solvation in chemical equations, the book also looks forward to future applications in both research and synthetic applications.
Superelectrophiles were developed by George Olah as a natural continuation of his Nobel-prize winning research on the study of carbocations using superacids and their chemistry and his idea to apply the superacid methods to the more general area of electrophile activity. His research has resulted in the development of the concept of superelectrophilic activation and the study of superelectrophiles ie electrophiles of greatly enhanced reactivity compared to previously known reagents. Superelectrophiles are now the de facto reactive intermediates of many electrophilic reactions in the superacid systems and even in some enzymatic systems, with the result that their enhanced reactivity has substantial impact on organic reaction mechanisms.