This book shows readers how to draw reasonable mechanisms for reactions they have never seen before. This skill will help readers develop a good command of electron-pushing before tackling the detailed mechanistic analysis of physical organic chemistry. It is organized according to mechanistic types in order to clarify the basic mechanistic similarities among apparently diverse reactions. One of the unique features of this book is the common error alert, which warns about common pitfalls and misconceptions.

This book addresses stochastic optimization procedures in a broad manner. The first part offers an overview of relevant optimization philosophies; the second deals with benchmark problems in depth, by applying a selection of optimization procedures. Written primarily with scientists and students from the physical and engineering sciences in mind, this book addresses a larger community of all who wish to learn about stochastic optimization techniques and how to use them.