Book excerpt: The authors of this guide are experts on the use of microwaves for drug synthesis as well as having much experience in teaching courses held under the auspices of the American Chemical Society and the IUPAC. In this handy source of information for any practicing synthetic chemist they focus on common reaction types in medicinal chemistry, including solid-phase and combinatorial methods. They consider the underlying theory, latest developments in microwave applications and include a variety of examples from recent literature, as well as less common applications that are equally relevant for organic and medicinal chemists. An indispensable reference for researchers with an affinity to modern methods.