Name Reactions

I don't have my name on anything that I don't really do. –Heidi Klum Can the organic chemists associated with so-called “Named Reactions” make the same claim as supermodel Heidi Klum? Many scholars of chemistry do not hesitate to point out that the names associated with “name reactions” are often not the actual inventors. For instance, the Arndt–Eistert reaction has nothing to do with either Arndt or Eistert, Pummerer did not discover the “Pummerer” rearrangement, and even the famous Birch reduction owes its initial discovery to someone named Charles Wooster (first reported in a DuPont patent). The list goes on and on… But does that mean we should ignore, boycott, or outlaw “named reactions”? Absolutely not. The above examples are merely exceptions to the rule. In fact, the chemists associated with name reactions are typically the original discoverers, contribute greatly to its general use, and/or are the first to popularize the transformation. Regardless of the controversial history underlying certain named reactions, it is the students of organic chemistry who benefit the most from the cataloging of reactions by name. Indeed, it is with education in mind that Dr. Jack Li has masterfully brought the chemical community the latest edition of Name Reactions.