Book excerpt: Edited by leading experts and pioneers in the field, this is the first up-to-date book on this hot topic. The authors provide synthetic chemists with different methods to activate carbon-carbon sigma bonds in organic molecules promoted by transition metal complexes. They explain the basic principles and strategies for carbon-carbon bond cleavage and highlight recently developed synthetic protocols based on this methodology. In so doing, they cover cleavage of C-C bonds in strained molecules, reactions involving elimination of carbon dioxide and ketones, reactions via retroallylation, and cleavage of C-C bonds of ketones and nitriles. The result is an excellent information source for researchers in academia and industry working in the field of synthetic organic chemistry, while equally serving as supplementary reading for advanced courses in organometallic chemistry and catalysis.