This 1983 book aims to present the experimental basis for concepts surrounding alicyclic chemistry, a fundamentally important area of chemistry.Alicyclic chemistry is a fundamentally important area of chemistry. It exemplifies the concepts of bonded and non-bonded interactions of atoms, and the ideas of molecular strain and their impact on the stability and reactivity of a range of molecular types. This 1983 book aims to present the experimental basis for these concepts.Alicyclic chemistry is a fundamentally important area of chemistry. It exemplifies the concepts of bonded and non-bonded interactions of atoms, and the ideas of molecular strain and their impact on the stability and reactivity of a range of molecular types. This 1983 book aims to present the experimental basis for these concepts.Alicyclic chemistry is a fundamentally important area of chemistry. It exemplifies the concepts of bonded and non-bonded interactions of atoms, and the ideas of molecular strain and their impact on the stability and reactivity of a range of molecular types. This book aims to present the experimental basis for these concepts. A survey of alicyclic chemistry must, however, also discuss the more important groups of natural products based on alicyclic structure and methods for their synthesis. In this second edition, first published in 1983, the coverage was extended to include examples of terpenes, sterols, prostaglandins and macrocycles. A discussion of spiro-compounds was also added. The book will be of use to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students of organic chemistry and their teachers.Preface to the first edition; Preface to the second edition; 1. Cycloalkanes, cycloalkenes and cycloalkynes; 2. The conformations of rings; 3. The influence of ring size on the reactivity of substituent groups; 4. Cyclisation, cycloaddition and electrocyclic reactions; 5. The chemistry of small rings; 6. Cyclopentane, cyclohexane and cycloheptane derivatives; 7. Medium-sized and larglsj