Lactones and lactams, cyclic molecules found in nature, yet so versatile that they can be reused in both the pharmaceutical industry and as chiral building blocks in organic synthesis, are the focus of this book. Although there a numerous tomes on heterocyclic compounds and natural products, this text fills the gap for an up-to-date summary of recently developed and improved synthetic methods for the preparation of the most important classes of lactones and lactams. Each chapter deals with the general and most recent synthetic methods leading to a specific class of lactone or lactam to enable quick accessto the procedure you desire. With brief descriptions of the occurrence and biological or pharmaceutical activity of each compound class, the authors have ensured that this book is comprehensive in its coverage. A valuable resource for organic, bio-, and medicinal chemists in academia and industry wanting to learn about successful synthetic routes to important natural products and use this as inspiration for their own work in the lab.weiterlesen