When Wittig first developed and described phosphorus ylides, nobody could have imagined how useful and versatile this class of compounds could be. This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date compilation of the chemistry and applications of phosphorus ylides in organic synthesis. The ylides are discussed as reagents in the synthesis of a broad range of substances, amongst them olefins, acetylenes, cyclic and heterocyclic compounds, in such naturally occurring compounds as pheromones, steroids and carotenoids, and pharmaceutically and biologically active compounds such as antibiotics and prostaglandins.

A particularly beneficial feature of this book is the 150 key experimental procedures with all the necessary data, allowing the preparation to start immediately without the need for an extremely time-consuming literature search. But should a search prove inevitable, around 2,500 references provide easy access to the primary literature.

Every chemist in academia and industry working in organic, bioorganic, inorganic, and medicinal chemistry will welcome this book as an inspiration of concepts, ideas and practical syntheses.