Handbook of heterocyclic chemistry /

Well into his fifth decade of authoring and editing research articles, books, and reference works on heterocyclic chemistry, Katritzky (Univ. of Florida) continues his bountiful production with this monograph. It is built on predecessor books, including Heterocyclic Chemistry, coauthored with J. Lagowski (1968); these are companions in turn to the multivolume Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry (CHC III, CH, Oct'08, 46-0887; CHC II, CH, May'98, 35-5078). This third edition retains much of the material from the second edition (2000). The volume is divided into three main sections covering structure, reactivity, and synthesis. Within each major section, content is organized by number of ring members and further by number and type of hetero atoms. The preliminary overview covers nomenclature and computer studies. Three authors review and update the literature, and include references from the late 1990s though the late 2000s. The detailed table of contents runs 22 pages, and the reference section is 52 pages. Heterocyclic compounds are very numerous, as is the literature covering them. Given their importance in biochemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, and the life sciences, this is an important reference work for academic and professional libraries, especially for those that do not own Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals/practitioners. R. E. Buntrock formerly, University of Maine