The design of novel medicines, insecticides, perfumes, flavourings, or polymeric materials relies crucially on organic chemists. ‘The synthesis and analysis of organic compounds’ outlines how the synthesis of an organic compound is devised to ensure that each atom is in the correct position within the molecule. It explains retrosynthesis and how reactions are carried out and monitored using chromatography and infrared spectroscopy. Once a reaction has been carried out, it is necessary to isolate and purify the reaction product. The structure of the end product needs to be analysed by elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, X-ray crystallography, or nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Another important part of organic chemistry is understanding how reactions take place.