Abstract
Ask a group of educated laymen what they consider the most important development in organic chemistry in recent decades, and you will get many answers. One person might point to huge growth of chemical technology and industry. Another might mention development of new drugs. A third would favor complex synthesis of natural products. But basic to all these, and largely making them possible, is our vastly improved knowledge of chemical reaction mechanisms. This includes recognition of the role of free radical chain reactions in organic chemistry. Twenty-five years ago free radical chemistry interested only a few gas-phase kineticists. Today it underlies the bulk of our plastics and synthetic rubber industries, the widespread use of atmospheric oxygen as a cheap oxidizing agent, and even the use of some of the most subtle reagents in drug, flavor, and perfume synthesis. It is remarkable that one set of rather simple principles is basic to such ...
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