Book excerpt: The first edition of this book achieved considerable success due to its ease of use and practical approach, and to the clear writing style of the authors. The preparation of organic compounds is still central to many disciplines, from the most applied to the highly academic and, more tan ever is not limited to chemists. With an emphasis on the most up-to-date techniques commonly used in organic syntheses, this book draws on the extensive experience of the authors and their association with some of the world's mleading laboratories of synthetic organic chemistry. In this new edition, all the figures have been re-drawn to bring them up to the highest possible standard, and the text has been revised to bring it up to date. Written primarily for postgraduate, advanced undergraduate and industrial organic chemists, particularly those involved in pharmaceutical, agrochemical and other areas of fine chemical research, the book is also a source of reference for biochemists, biologists, genetic engineers, material scientists and polymer researchers.