Volume 4 Is largely devoted to the organic chemistry of silicon-containing compounds. Organosilicon chemistry, defined in a broader sense than that used in volume 4, is a much larger subject, second only to that of carbon itself, and so volume 4, in order to concentrate on organic synthesis, focuses on the chemistry of the carbon-based structures to which the silicon is attached, and not at all on silicon-containing materials. Accordingly, the chapters are organized by the functionality attached to the element, with the space given to each determined by the importance of the functional arrangement in synthesis. Each of the chapters describes the synthesis of the compounds in question, followed by substantial sections in most chapters on the uses in synthesis of each of the different sub-classes of compounds. There is a longish introduction to the volume, which serves as a primer for those new to the ideas. It describes the simple principles in the chemistry of silicon, and how they can be applied in many different contexts to solve problems in organic synthesis, covered more completely in the individual chapters, ranging from the wide range of protecting groups based on silicon (Chapter 17), to its key role in the Mukaiyama aldol reaction (Chapter 16), in the reactions of allylsilanes (Chapter 40) and in the control of diastereoselectivity stemming from its large size and electropositive nature (Chapter 41).

SYNTHESIS 2009

Organosilicon Compounds as Water Scavengers in Reactions of Carbonyl Compounds

Dmitriy M. Volochnyuk, Sergey V. Ryabukhin, Andrey S. Plaskon and Oleksandr O. Grygorenko