Foreword.

Abstract

This volume is intended for all synthetic organic chemists. The first series of these articles was originally collected in one vol­ ume, which went through numerous large editions. (Several editions were reprinted in the United States during the Second World War.) The reviews in these three volumes are in the form of monographs, and have for that reason not appeared in systematic order. We have selected what seemed to us topical and important. (Reaction mechanisms according to modern theories are postulated only where they allow the prediction of fresh applications of the reaction described.) The up-to-date character of the reviews is due to the exceptional cooperation of the authors.