Book excerpt: The second edition of Comprehensive Organic Synthesis—winner of the 2015 PROSE Award for Multivolume Reference/Science from the Association of American Publishers—builds upon the highly respected first edition in drawing together the new common themes that underlie the many disparate areas of organic chemistry. These themes support effective and efficient synthetic strategies, thus providing a comprehensive overview of this important discipline. Fully revised and updated, this new set forms an essential reference work for all those seeking information on the solution of synthetic problems, whether they are experienced practitioners or chemists whose major interests lie outside organic synthesis. In addition, synthetic chemists requiring the essential facts in new areas, as well as students completely new to the field, will find Comprehensive Organic Synthesis, Second Edition, Nine Volume Set an invaluable source, providing an authoritative overview of core concepts. Winner of the 2015 PROSE Award for Multivolume Reference/Science from the Association of American Publishers Contains more than170 articles across nine volumes, including detailed analysis of core topics such as bonds, oxidation, and reduction Includes more than10,000 schemes and images Fully revised and updated; important growth areas—including combinatorial chemistry, new technological, industrial, and green chemistry developments—are covered extensively