Book excerpt: Chiral Building Blocks in Asymmetric Synthesis A comprehensive introduction to the important classes of chiral building blocks Chirality — the asymmetric quality found in certain chemical compounds — plays an essential role in our world: chiral compounds can be found in biology, pharmaceutical compounds, agrochemicals, and fragrances. The stereoselective preparation of these complex molecular constructions constitutes a challenge. To this end, modern asymmetric synthesis utilizes a variety of valuable and efficient reagents employed as chiral auxiliaries, metal complexes and organocatalysts in stereoselective catalysis, and enantiopure reactants termed as chiral building blocks. In Chiral Building Blocks in Asymmetric Synthesis, the achievements in the fields of preparation of and applications of chiral blocks are presented. In doing so, the book comprehensively discusses the important classes of these reactants as the key for the asymmetric synthesis of chiral molecules. As such, it is an indispensable resource about synthetic methods, as well as possible modifications and transformations of important classes of chiral compounds. It also highlights the importance of their use as reactants and auxiliaries in the preparation of more sophisticated molecules or supramolecular systems. In Chiral Building Blocks in Asymmetric Synthesis readers will also find: Organization according to the most important compound classes — e.g. amino acids, BINOL and its derivatives, terpenes, and others — with an emphasis on synthesis and application A focus on the use of chiral building blocks for the preparation of bioactive compounds and supramolecular assemblies Chiral Building Blocks in Asymmetric Synthesis is a useful reference for organic chemists, catalytic chemists, chemists in industry, medicinal chemists, pharmaceutical chemists, and the libraries that support them.