071In previous chapters,the polymers synthe-
sized by biological systems—proteins, carbohydrates,
and nucleic acids—were discussed.
Chapter 28discusses polymers synthesized by chemists.
These synthetic polymers have physical properties that
make them useful in everyday life, in applications such as
fabrics, bottles, food wrap, automobile parts, and compact
discs.
Chapter 29discusses pericyclic reactions—reactions that
occur as a result of a cyclic reorganization of electrons.
In this chapter, you will learn how the conservation of
orbital symmetry theory explains the relationships among
reactant, product, and reaction conditions in a pericyclic
reaction.
Chapter 30introduces you to medicinal chemistry. Here
you will see how many of our commonly used drugs were
discovered, and you will learn about some of the tech-
niques used to develop new drugs.
Special Topics
in Organic
Chemistry
PART EIGHT
Chapter 28
Synthetic PolymersChapter 29
Pericyclic ReactionsChapter 30
The Organic Chemistry of Drugs
Discovery and Design