Science of Synthesis: Click Chemistry

Book excerpt: This reference work presents the state-of-the-art in the field of click chemistry, collecting the most useful, practical, and reliable methods. Click chemistry is a discipline that has grown rapidly since the introduction of this term by Barry Sharpless and Huisgen approximately two decades ago. Initially, click reactions mostly involved copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloadditions and their applications to connect molecules, but gradually new types of click reactions were developed which also allowed a much wider range of applications throughout the chemical, biological, and materials sciences. This volume provides an overview of the most widely used click reactions and their scope and limitations. Written by pioneers and leaders in the field and including representative applications and experimental procedures. Newcomers to the field are enabled to instantly apply these reactions in synthesis.