Catalysts are increasingly used by chemists engaged in fine chemical synthesis within both industry and academia. Today, there exists a huge choice of high-tech catalysts, which add enormously to the repertoire of synthetic possibilities. However, catalysts are occasionally capricious, sometimes difficult to use and almost always require both skill and experience in order to achieve optimal results. This series aims to be a practical help for advanced undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students, as well as experienced chemists in industry and academia working in organic and organometallic synthesis.

The series features:

• Tested and validated procedures.

• Authoritative reviews on classes of catalysts.

• Assessments of all types of catalysts.

• Expertise from the Leverhulme Centre for Innovative Catalysis, Liverpool, UK.

Arguably, catalysis by polyoxometalates has been one of the most successful areas in fundamental and applied catalysis in the last few decades. Industry is using these catalysts for a number of large-scale chemical processes. On the other hand, the enormous versatility of polyoxometalates offers significant opportunities for clean synthesis of fine and speciality chemicals. Much research is focussed on the use of these catalysts in laboratory scale synthesis.

The second volume in the series presents a survey of recent developments in catalysis by polyoxometalates for fine chemicals synthesis. One chapter concentrates on the practical preparation of specific acid and oxidation catalysts. Other chapters describe in detail the use in homogeneous and heterogeneous syntheses.