In 1970 I wrote a review article for "Topics in Current Chemistry," surveying the general reaction patterns of transition-metal complexes from the standpoint of organic synthesis. The article seems to have evoked wide interest, and I therefore thought it appropriate to treat the subject more comprehensively in the form of a monograph. Organometallic chemistry is a rapidly growing field of intensive research. In this field, the application of organometallic compounds to organic synthesis is an important subject and many unique synthetic methods have been discovered, especially in the last decade. Syntheses using transition-metal com pounds are now in the foreground of organic chemistry. The purpose of this monograph is to give a bird's-eye view of this field to both organic and inorganic chemists through a mechanistic approach. A systematic unification of the voluminous data accumulated in this field is now urgently required. This subject is discussed by classifying various reactions into general patterns and by illustrating them with a limited number of pertinent examples."

Around 30 years ago the transition metal chemistry received great impulses. In the focus have been reactions of nickel and cobalt and herein especially their carbonyls. Also industrial processes have been developed. When the technical oxidation of ethylene with palladium chloride had been discovered, and a great number oflaboratory reactions, many groups have turned towards this subject. Apart from two important industrial processes - acetaldehyde and vinylacetate from ethylene - a great number of conversions and catalytic reactions with palladium compounds have been researched. Their mechanisms have been cleared up and have con tributed to a better understanding of the complex chemistry of palladium. Last but not least these reactions have also served for more understanding of organic transition metal compounds and catalyses in general. Numerous conventional reactions appear today in a different light. The effects of co-"

Palladium is a remarkable metal. In particular, organopalladium chemistry has made remarkable progress over the last 30 years. That progress is still continuing, without any end in sight. This book presents a number of accounts and reviews on the novel Pd-catalyzed reactions discovered mainly in the last five years. The book covers Pd-catalyzed reactions that are new entirely different from the more standard ones. Topics such as new reactions involving ss-carbon elimination and formation of palladacycles as key reactions, cross-coupling of unactivated alkyl electrophiles with organometallic compounds, arylation via C-H bond cleavage, Pd/norbornene-catalyzed aromatic functionalizations, three-component cyclizations of allenes, use of N-heterocyclic carbenes as ligands, asymmetric reactions catalyzed by Pd(II) compounds such as Lewis acids, cycloadditions of arynes and alkynes, and nucleophilic attack by Pd species are surveyed in detail by researchers who have made important contributions to these fields. The book addresses graduate students majoring in organic synthesis and researchers in academic and industrial institutes."

Palladium is a remarkable metal. In particular, organopalladium chemistry has made remarkable progress over the last 30 years. That progress is still continuing, without any end in sight. This book presents a number of accounts and reviews on the novel Pd-catalyzed reactions discovered mainly in the last five years. The book covers Pd-catalyzed reactions that are new entirely different from the more standard ones. Topics such as new reactions involving ss-carbon elimination and formation of palladacycles as key reactions, cross-coupling of unactivated alkyl electrophiles with organometallic compounds, arylation via C-H bond cleavage, Pd/norbornene-catalyzed aromatic functionalizations, three-component cyclizations of allenes, use of N-heterocyclic carbenes as ligands, asymmetric reactions catalyzed by Pd(II) compounds such as Lewis acids, cycloadditions of arynes and alkynes, and nucleophilic attack by Pd species are surveyed in detail by researchers who have made important contributions to these fields. The book addresses graduate students majoring in organic synthesis and researchers in academic and industrial institutes."