Book excerpt: Filling the gap in the literature, this book presents everything there is to know about this topic. By comprehensively covering the quaternary stereocenters found in a range of important and useful molecules in pharmaceutical and medicinal applications, as well as in thousands of natural products, the book provides the know-how chemists need to synthesize challenging molecules with numerous applications. A must for organic chemists in academia, the pharmaceutical industry and medicine. From the Contents: Important Natural Products Important Pharmaceuticals and Intermediates Aldol Reactions Michael Reactions and Conjugate Additions Cycloaddition Reactions Rearrangement Reactions Alkylation of Ketones and Imines Asymmetric Allylic Alkylation Asymmetric Cross Coupling and Heck Reactions Phase Transfer Catalysis Enzymatic Methods Radical Reactions