Recent advances in microwave-assisted organic syntheses

The application of microwaves to organic synthesis is opening up new opportunities for the synthetic chemist by providing new routes not practical by traditional means, such as improved reaction yields, solvent-free reaction conditions or decreasing the time needed for transformations. This is an area of synthesis that is rapidly developing. It is becoming clear that microwave approaches can be developed for most reactions requiring heating. The most interesting developments are those demonstrating the enabling of microwave reactions where traditional methods have failed or give only poor yields. This review intends to point out some of the more interesting papers in this area published over the last year or so, where the microwave method was demonstrated as clearly superior to previously available techniques or a new useful approach was presented.