Practical Process Research and Development
A Guide for Organic Chemists
- 3rd Edition - August 1, 2026
- Latest edition
- Author: Neal G. Anderson
- Language: English
Practical Process Research and Development: A Guide for Organic Chemists, Third Edition provides a concise, comprehensive, step-by-step framework to support understanding and im… Read more
Practical Process Research and Development: A Guide for Organic Chemists, Third Edition provides a concise, comprehensive, step-by-step framework to support understanding and implement organic process research and development in the pharmaceutical, fine chemical, and agricultural chemical industries. The book describes the steps taken following synthesis and evaluation to bring key compounds to market in a cost-effective manner. Through a hands-on, step-by-step approach to solving process development problems, including route, reagent, and solvent selection, optimizing catalytic reactions, chiral syntheses, and green chemistry, this book helps organic, medicinal, pharmaceutical, and chemical process development chemists as well as chemical engineers with research and development initiatives.
In addition, it is well suited for beginners at upper undergraduate and graduate student level and early career researchers who need accessible insights into industrial process R&D.
In addition, it is well suited for beginners at upper undergraduate and graduate student level and early career researchers who need accessible insights into industrial process R&D.
- Reflects the current thinking in chemical process R&D for small molecules
- Provides insights into generating rugged, practical, cost-effective processes for the chemical preparation of small molecules
- Breaks down process optimization into route, reagent and solvent selection, development of reaction conditions, workup, crystallizations, and more
- Presents guidelines for implementing and troubleshooting critical processes
- Includes various problem sets, providing readers with the opportunity to reflect on the course material and real-life situations
- Provides a framework for practical chemical process development for those new to the industry
- Includes examples to aid researchers who have been conducting industrial process R&D
Organic, medicinal, pharmaceutical, and chemical process development chemists, as well as chemical engineers. It is well suited for beginners at upper undergraduate and graduate student level and early career researchers who need an accessible insight into industrial process R&D
1. Introduction
2. Safety Reactions
3. Route selection
4. Reagent selection
5. Solvent selection
6. Practical considerations for scale-up
7. In-process controls and reaction duration
8. Process optimization by minimizing impurities
9. Work-up conditions
10. Purification, crystallization and isolation
11. Final product form and impurities
12. Continuous operations
13. Scale-up concerns, validation, and process implementation
14. Trouble-shooting
2. Safety Reactions
3. Route selection
4. Reagent selection
5. Solvent selection
6. Practical considerations for scale-up
7. In-process controls and reaction duration
8. Process optimization by minimizing impurities
9. Work-up conditions
10. Purification, crystallization and isolation
11. Final product form and impurities
12. Continuous operations
13. Scale-up concerns, validation, and process implementation
14. Trouble-shooting
Review of the previous edition:
"This second edition text is at a more advanced level than the original, reflecting the abundant sources of information that have become available in the last ten years and the author’s reconsideration of this presentation. Anderson has worked for 30-plus years in the pharmaceutical industry. His text offers a step-by-step approach, beginning with discussion of how and why operations are carried out and then illustrating principles with examples. Coverage encompasses process safety; route, reagent, and solvent selection; effect of water; in-process assays, controls, and specifications; practical considerations for scale-up; refining the process for simplicity and ruggedness; and troubleshooting, among other topics."—Reference and Research Book News, August 2012
"I would hope that most readers of this journal are very familiar with the first edition of Neal Anderson’s excellent book on Chemical Process Research and Development and are as keen to see the second edition as I was. The good news is that the new edition is bigger (by over 100 pages), better than the original, and cheaper… The big improvement in the new edition is the layout so that the schemes are now much closer to the relevant text than before which makes reading that much easier…Overall this book is highly recommended even if you already have a copy of the original edition."—Organic Process Research and Development
"This second edition text is at a more advanced level than the original, reflecting the abundant sources of information that have become available in the last ten years and the author’s reconsideration of this presentation. Anderson has worked for 30-plus years in the pharmaceutical industry. His text offers a step-by-step approach, beginning with discussion of how and why operations are carried out and then illustrating principles with examples. Coverage encompasses process safety; route, reagent, and solvent selection; effect of water; in-process assays, controls, and specifications; practical considerations for scale-up; refining the process for simplicity and ruggedness; and troubleshooting, among other topics."—Reference and Research Book News, August 2012
"I would hope that most readers of this journal are very familiar with the first edition of Neal Anderson’s excellent book on Chemical Process Research and Development and are as keen to see the second edition as I was. The good news is that the new edition is bigger (by over 100 pages), better than the original, and cheaper… The big improvement in the new edition is the layout so that the schemes are now much closer to the relevant text than before which makes reading that much easier…Overall this book is highly recommended even if you already have a copy of the original edition."—Organic Process Research and Development
- Edition: 3
- Latest edition
- Published: August 1, 2026
- Language: English
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Neal G. Anderson
Neal G. Anderson is a synthetic organic chemist with over 40 years of experience in chemical process R&D in the pharmaceutical industry. He earned a B.S. degree in biology from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry from the University of Michigan, followed by industrial post-doctoral studies at McNeil Laboratories. He has extensive hands-on experience in the laboratory, pilot plant, and in manufacturing facilities. At Squibb / Bristol-Myers Squibb he made key contributions to processes for the manufacture of four major drug substances, including captopril, and has participated in 12 manufacturing start-ups and introductions of many processes to pilot plants. He received a BMS President's Award and spot awards, and his final position was Principal Scientist. In 1997, Anderson established Anderson’s Process Solutions L.L.C., a consulting firm based in the USA to offer practical guidance on developing and implementing processes for bulk pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals. As part of these consulting services, he presents courses on selected aspects of practical process R&D. He is experienced in laboratory research, scale-up, and technology transfer to ensure reproducibility and optimal product quality.
Affiliations and expertise
Anderson's Process Solutions LLC, USA