Author Description

Organic synthesis is a vibrant and rapidly evolving field; we can now cyclize amines directly onto alkenes. Like the first two books in this series, Organic Synthesis: State of the Art 2003-2005 and Organic Synthesis: State of the Art 2005-2007, this reference leads readers quickly to the most important recent developments. Two years of Taber's popular weekly online column, "Organic Chemistry Highlights", as featured on the organic-chemistry.org website, are consolidated here, with cumulative indices of all three volumes in this series. Important topics that are covered range from powerful new methods for C-C bond construction to asymmetric organocatalysis and direct C-H functionalization. This go-to reference focuses on the most important recent developments in organic synthesis, and includes a succinct analysis of the significance and applicability of each new synthetic method. It details and analyzes more than twenty complex total syntheses, including the Sammakia synthesis of the Macrolide RK-397, the Ley synthesis of Rapamycin, and the Kobayashi synthesis of (-)-Norzoanthamine.