Introduction to Organic Photochemistry John D. Coyle, The Open University, Milton Keynes The purpose of this book is to provide an introductory account of the major types of organic photochemical reactions, to enable those with a prior knowledge of basic organic chemistry to appreciate the differences between processes which occur photochemically (through an electronically excited state) and those that occur thermally (directly from the electronic ground state). The material is organized according to organic functional groups, in parallel with the approach adopted in most general textbooks on organic chemistry. In this respect it differs from many of the existing, older organic photochemistry texts. The first chapter provides an account of the distinctive features of photochemical reactions, and a physical/mechanistic framework for the descriptions in the rest of the book. The overall emphasis is on organic photoreactions potentially useful in synthesis. The book thus integrates this branch of chemistry with broader aspects of the subject, and introduces the reader to important applications of organic photochemistry.