Book excerpt: This practical work summarizes the development of organophosphorus chemistry in topical areas and details the discipline's current state - providing applications and experimental procedures throughout.;Written by 18 leading authorities in the field, the Handbook of Organophosphorus Chemistry: examines advances in the mechanistic understanding of the Perkow and related organophosphorus reactions; describes methods for the reduction of quinquevalent to trivalent phosphorus and their applications to standard synthetic procedures; emphasizes the preparation of phosphonates bearing hydroxy, amino, and thiol functions at the alpha-position relative to the phosphoryl group; reviews the basics of NMR as it applies to the 31P nucleus, considering the use of the latest measurement techniques in solving structural and mechanistic problems; compares the characteristics of polymer-based and monomeric materials; and presents recent progress in the design of insecticides and covers their chemical and biological characteristics.;Generously referenced with close to 3000 bibliographic citations, the Handbook of Organophosphorus Chemistry is an important volume for organic, medicinal, and agricultural chemists and biochemists; pharmacists; chemical engineers; and graduate-level students in these disciplines.