Chemical Synthesisof Hormones, Phero-

mones and OtherBioregulators

Small natural products adopt diversestrategies to regulate the interaction of

organisms and to help structure the envi-ronment. Kenji Mori has dedicated his scien-

tific career to the synthesis of these compoundsand to their biological function. In collaborationwith biologists, he was able to determine thestructure and function of many pheromones, signal-ing agents, and other bioregulators through totalsynthesis and to establish synthetic pathways tothese compounds. Research groups around theworld work with him and use his substances toconduct experiments. Especially difficult targetcompounds inspired him to find new paths insynthetic chemistry. He is one of the pioneers in thenow established area of small bioregulators, as hecalls it. He was instrumental in putting stereo-chemical aspects at the forefront of natural-productsynthesis and in elucidating their importance forbiological activity.

This book is the chemical autobiography ofKenji Mori. In it, he describes almost exclusivelyhis own work in over 170 (!) syntheses that he andhis research group have conducted in 50 years. Assuch, his book is also an historic document: thesyntheses are arranged in loose chronologicalorder, so that the development of organic natural-product synthesis can be recognized if the book isread from beginning to end. Mori always incorpo-rated the newest protocols into his syntheses ofstereochemically pure compounds—he is a pioneerespecially of the synthesis of enantiomerically purecompounds.

After an introductory chapter on biofunctionalmolecules and organic synthesis come chapters onthe synthesis of phytohormones, insect hormonesand antifeedants, pheromones, microbial naturalproducts, marine natural products, and glycosphin-golipids. A chapter on incorrect structural assign-ment of natural products concludes the book.

Those familiar with Mori�s work know that hehas a clear, concise style and concentrates on theessentials. This book is the exact opposite of TheWay of Synthesis by Hudlicky and Reed, whichnearly overflows with words. Instead, each of themany syntheses is illustrated graphically, and thetext describes only their most important aspects.The reader should thus have a solid knowledge oforganic synthesis to be able to understand theschemes. Nevertheless, the author incorporatesmany personal experiences, insight, and anecdotesinto the text, which makes the book entertaining toread. Mori�s writing reflects his personality: direct,honest, interested in the person he is talking to, andwith a special love of organic synthesis.

One of the central themes of Kenji Mori�s workis surely the synthesis of pheromones. He dedicatedhimself early on to the synthesis of pure stereo-isomers and perfected it over the years. Here, hedescribes the improvement and adaptation ofsyntheses, as small amounts of the wrong isomersuppress function or even reverse it. An especiallyinteresting chapter reports on incorrect structuralassignment, be it either purposeful or inadvertent.The moral of the story is familiar to every syntheticchemist: diligence. He does not shy away fromnaming names, and he describes his own errors aswell; one chapter bears the heading “Human errorsare inevitable in chemistry, too.” It is this humanview of science that permeates many parts of thebook.

The book is wonderfully suited as in introduc-tion to the synthesis of small natural products.Synthetic organic chemists will find many usefulsuggestions, and advanced students can furthertheir knowledge of organic chemistry. A solidknowledge of organic synthesis is, however, aprerequisite to get the most out of the book.

Stefan SchulzInstitut f�r Organische ChemieTechnische Universit�t Braunschweig (Germany)

DOI: 10.1002/anie.201101284

Chemical Synthesis ofHormones, Pheromones andOther BioregulatorsBy Kenji Mori. John Wiley &Sons, Hoboken 2010.314 pp., softcover,E 48.90.—ISBN 978-0470697238

Books

4742 � 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, 4742