New Techniques on Soft Soils

The venerable Minisci reaction allows for direct access to functionalized heterocycles. This process has lately seen an interesting renaissance and is discussed in this volume. Addition of heteroatom-centered radicals onto unsaturated systems constitutes another powerful method to construct heterocycles. Examples of such a strategy are proposed along with the formation of various heterocycles relying on homolytic substitution at sulfur, phosphorus and selenium. Additionally free-radical functionalization of reactive functional groups including isonitriles, isothiocyanates and related unsaturated systems which offer a straightforward route towards useful aromatic and non-aromatic heterocycles are discussed.

It brings together a global network of experimentalists, field scientists, theoreticians, chemists, physicists and environmental scientists working at the forefront of these emerging issues, providing a forum for cross-disciplinary exchange and discussion of ideas on the processes that control the composition of the atmosphere.

The ordering of the chapters reflects the natural flow of events in an evolving Universe: Philosophy of Science, the basis of the view that natural events have natural causes – Cosmology, the origin of everything from the Big Bang to the current state of the Universe – Geoscience, the physics and chemistry behind the evolution of the planet Earth from its birth to the present – Life Science, the molecules and mechanisms of life on Earth – Ecology, the interdependence of all components within the Ecosphere and the Universe – Information Content, emphasis on how words and phrases and framing of issues affect opinions, reliability of sources, and the limitations of knowledge.

Each review within the volume critically surveys one aspect of that topic and places it within the context of the volume as a whole. The most significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years are presented using selected examples to illustrate the principles discussed. The coverage is not intended to be an exhaustive summary of the field or include large quantities of data, but should rather be conceptual, concentrating on the methodological thinking that will allow the non-specialist reader to understand the information presented. Contributions also offer an outlook on potential future developments in the field.