Carbohydrates are widely distributed in nature and easily available, so are considered as a promising feedstock for the preparation of many organic chemical compounds, and are particularly useful in the preparation of nitrogen heterocycles because of their related structural characteristics.


Synthesis of Naturally Occurring Nitrogen Heterocycles from Carbohydrates reviews the recent literature dealing with use of carbohydrates as raw materials in the synthesis of these materials. It provides a detailed discussion of the various synthetic approaches to these compounds, using carbohydrate starting materials, and attempts to give as much detail as possible on the actual experimental conditions used, in such a way that the chemist can use the information directly to design a multi-step synthesis. Written for organic chemists in the pharmaceutical, agrochemicals and specialty organic chemicals industries, and faculty and postgraduate students working on the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds, it discusses the different approaches to the synthesis of a wide range of naturally occurring nitrogen heterocycles in a format that enables the reader to make comparisons and decisions on whether to use a certain procedure, to modify it, or to devise a new synthetic methodology.