This long awaited fourth edition continues with its popular and outstanding methodologies for the elucidation of reaction mechanisms. This book has constantly tried to assist the students in learning mechanisms considering a broad coverage of every important aspect of mechanistic techniques. It has been extensively used as a text for the last 30 years by both graduate and postgraduate level students. In addition, research workers have also enormously benefited because of the in-depth discussion of the subject and inclusion of recent bibliography. The book consists of 14 chapters and is written in a reader friendly language. The contents of this edition provide a concrete and compact description of the subject. New end-of-chapter problems have been appended. This book will hopefully continue to inspire its readers in focussing on the mechanistic approach to chemistry.

The next article includes the description of the rich chemistry of phosphinines, including azaphosphinines. The sixth article deals with synthetic approaches to different types of 1- heterophosphacyclanes, including four-, five-, and six-membered P-heterocycles. The next two articles cover the chemistry of phosphorus containing mac- cycles. The phosphorus containing calixarenes have attracted much attention in recent years due to their various functions such as metal cations binding, catalysis, molecular recogination, and bioactivity. Likewise, other phosphorus-containing macrocycles, cryptands, and dendrimers find various uses in analytical chemistry and biochemistry. We hope to include the following articles in the second volume on phosphorous heterocycles: Diazaphospholes Selected phosphorous heterocycles containing a stereogenic phosphorus Heterophenes carrying phosphorus functional groups as key structures The synthesis and chemistry of the phospholane ring system Synthesis and bioactivity of 2,5-dihydro-1,2-oxaphosphole-2-oxide derivatives Recent developments in the chemistry of N-heterocyclic phosphines. I would be failing in my duty if I do not express my sincere thanks to the people at Springer, particularly Ms. Birgit Kollmar-Thoni and Ms. Ingrid Samide, for coordinating the project with great dedication.