Synthesis of Heterocyclic Compounds

The chemistry of heterocyclic compounds now forms one of the most extensive and important branches of organic chemistry. The rapid expansion of investigation in this field is due largely to the ever increasing practical importance of heterocyclic com pounds. The present stage in the development of organic chemistry and closely allied branches of biology is characterized by extensive investigation of physiologically active substances encountered in the plant and animal world and playing important parts in the life processes of micro- and macro-organisms. This extensive inves tigation of alkaloids, vitamins, hormones, antibiotics and their synthetic substitutes, and also of substances that control the bio chemical processes of the nervous system, has acted as a powerful stimulus to the further development of the chemistry of hetero cyclic compounds. Moreover, there are many well known applications of heterocyclic compounds in the manufacture of dyes, synthetic resins, synthetic rubbers, and other important materials. In response to growing demands, several monographs and treatises on the chemistry of heterocyclic compounds have appeared in recent years, the most comprehensive of these being the series "Heterocyclic Compounds," edited by R. C. Elderfield, which is already appearing in Russian translation. On the other hand, the lack of a practical guide to the laboratory preparation of hetero cyclic compounds is being felt more and more.