NPTEL Course: Pericyclic Reactions & Organic Photochemistry by IIT Madras | Advanced Organic Chemistry
Course Details
| Exam Registration | 53 |
|---|---|
| Course Status | Ongoing |
| Course Type | Core |
| Language | English |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Categories | Chemistry |
| Credit Points | 2 |
| Level | Postgraduate |
| Start Date | 19 Jan 2026 |
| End Date | 13 Mar 2026 |
| Enrollment Ends | 02 Feb 2026 |
| Exam Registration Ends | 16 Feb 2026 |
| Exam Date | 28 Mar 2026 IST |
| NCrF Level | 4.5 — 8.0 |
Unlock the Power of Concerted Reactions and Light in Organic Synthesis
Are you a postgraduate chemistry student or a professional in R&D looking to master the elegant, predictable, and powerful realms of advanced organic chemistry? The NPTEL course "Pericyclic Reactions and Organic Photochemistry" by Prof. S. Sankararaman of IIT Madras is your definitive guide. This meticulously structured 8-week program delves deep into two cornerstone topics that are essential for understanding modern synthetic strategies and reaction mechanisms.
Why This Course is a Must for Aspiring Chemists
Pericyclic reactions and photochemistry represent paradigms of control and selectivity in organic synthesis. Unlike stepwise ionic or radical reactions, pericyclic processes are concerted—bond breaking and forming occur in a single, coordinated step, governed by the elegant symmetry-based Woodward-Hoffmann rules. Similarly, organic photochemistry uses light as a traceless reagent to access high-energy, excited-state molecules, unlocking reaction pathways impossible under thermal conditions. This course bridges theory and application, making complex concepts accessible and demonstrating their immense utility in constructing complex molecular architectures.
Meet Your Instructor: A Renowned Expert
The course is led by Prof. S. Sankararaman, a distinguished faculty member with over 25 years of teaching and research experience at IIT Madras. His expertise is not just academic; he is the author of the authoritative textbook "Pericyclic Reactions – A textbook" (Wiley-VCH, 2005). Prof. Sankararaman's teaching covers a wide spectrum, from foundational B.Tech courses to advanced MSc and PhD topics in organic, organometallic chemistry, and spectroscopy. His research in synthesis and catalysis ensures the course content is grounded in real-world scientific relevance.
Detailed 8-Week Course Curriculum
The course is systematically divided to build your knowledge from the ground up, with dedicated weeks for theory, analysis, and applications.
| Week | Topics Covered |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Introduction, thermal vs. photochemical activation, molecular orbital theory of polyenes, classification and analysis methods for pericyclic reactions. |
| Week 2 | Electrocyclic Reactions: Woodward-Hoffmann rules, stereochemistry, analysis methods, and examples. |
| Week 3 | Electrocyclic reactions (contd.), Cycloaddition Reactions: Introduction, rules, stereochemistry, and analysis. |
| Week 4 | Applications of [2+2] cycloadditions, the iconic Diels-Alder reaction and its synthetic utility. |
| Week 5 | 1,3-Dipolar cycloadditions, higher-order cycloadditions, introduction to Sigmatropic Rearrangements and their rules. |
| Week 6 | Sigmatropic examples: Claisen, Cope, [2,3]-rearrangements, Chelotropic reactions, and the Ene reaction. |
| Week 7 | Organic Photochemistry: Fundamentals, Jablonski diagram, energy/electron transfer, photochemistry of carbonyls. |
| Week 8 | Photochemistry of olefins, enones, aromatics, role of molecular oxygen, and an introduction to supramolecular photochemistry. |
Who Should Enroll?
- Core Audience: MSc and PhD students in Chemistry.
- Also Highly Beneficial: Final-year BSc students, advanced undergraduates, and researchers in industry R&D.
Prerequisites & Industry Relevance
To succeed, you should have a solid foundation in basic organic chemistry, stereochemistry, and reaction mechanisms. NPTEL's own courses on Stereochemistry and Introductory Organic Chemistry II are excellent preparatory resources.
This course holds significant industry support, particularly from:
- Pharmaceutical R&D laboratories.
- Fine chemical industries.
- National research labs like NCL and IICT.
The skills learned are directly applicable to designing novel synthetic routes, understanding complex reaction mechanisms, and developing new materials and drugs.
Key Learning Outcomes
- Master the Woodward-Hoffmann rules and various methods (FMO, Correlation Diagrams) to analyze any pericyclic reaction.
- Predict the stereochemical outcome of electrocyclic, cycloaddition, and sigmatropic reactions.
- Apply pericyclic reactions like Diels-Alder, 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions, and sigmatropic rearrangements in synthetic planning.
- Understand the principles of molecular excitation, energy transfer, and the behavior of excited states.
- Design and rationalize photochemical reactions for the synthesis of complex molecules, including cage compounds.
Essential Reference Books
- Primary Text: Sankararaman, S. Pericyclic Reactions – A Textbook. Wiley-VCH, 2005.
- Supplementary Reading: Fleming, I. Pericyclic Reactions. Oxford University Press, 1999.
- For Photochemistry: Turro, N. J., Ramamurthy, V., & Scaiano, J. C. Modern Molecular Photochemistry of Organic Compounds. University Science Books, 2010.
This NPTEL course is more than just a series of lectures; it's a comprehensive learning journey with tutorials and assignments designed to test and reinforce your understanding. Whether you aim to excel in academics or innovate in industry, "Pericyclic Reactions and Organic Photochemistry" provides the critical knowledge and intellectual tools to advance your expertise in modern organic chemistry.
Enroll Now →