This book is a must for every synthetic organic chemist. With didactic skill and clarity, K. C. Nicolaou and E. J. Sorensen present the most remarkable and ingenious total syntheses from the laboratories of some of the world's greatest synthetic organic chemists. To make the strategies more understandable and accessible, especially to the novice, each total synthesis is first analyzed retrosynthetically.

The authors then carefully describe each step and comment on alternative methods and potential pitfalls. When appropriate, key chemical reactions are discussed in the wider context of the chemical literature, giving the reader a lesson in both total synthesis and synthetic methods. Diverse structural types of natural products and important organic transformations including pericyclic, ionic, radical, and photochemical reactions are covered. Catalysis, asymmetric synthesis, organometallic chemistry, and cyclization reactions are especially highlighted.

Mechanism, reactivity, selectivity, and stereochemistry are presented clearly and discussed analytically. Numerous references to useful reviews and the original literature will make this book the first point of entry into the vast field of synthetic organic chemistry. Special emphasis is placed on the skillful use of graphics and schemes. Retrosynthetic analyses, reaction sequences and crucial synthetic steps are presented in boxed, blue background sections within the text. For easy reference, key intermediates are also shown in the margins.

Graduate students, teachers, and researchers alike will find this book to be a gold mine of useful information. Every synthetic chemist will have a copy on his or her desk.