Book excerpt: This book is designed to give the reader up to date infonnation on some of the more exciting developments that have taken place at the leading edge of fragrance and flavour research. Chapter one gives the reader a rnpid excursion through the chronological landmarks of fragrance and flavour materials and sets the scene for the remaining nine chapters which cover topics that are at the forefront of modem research. Chapter two looks at the total synthesis of synthetically interesting perfumery naturnl materials. This chapter aims to highlight the creative and elegant chemistry that has been performed by some of the worlds greatest chemists in their quest to synthesise one of the five naturnl products reviewed in the chapter. The chapter fits in with the forward looking theme of the book as it will hopefully inspire other chemists that are interested in synthesising natural products to produce elegant new, or industrially applicable routes to these and other perfumery materials. Chapter three looks at the growing area of interest in asymmetric fragrance materials. The chapter focuses on the use of the metal-BINAP catalytic system for the preparation of fragrance and flavour ingredients. Environmental considerations are now an integrnl and vital part of planning any new industrial chemical process. Chapter four aims to give the reader an insight into the wide-ranging and often readily applicable chemistry that is currently available for the installation of environmentally friendly chemical processes.