This volume comprises the proceedings of the TOCAT 2 Conference. The papers are grouped in three categories: plenary lectures, oral presentations and papers presented in the industrial poster sessions.

After three meetings in Poitiers, France, the 4th International Symposium on Heterogeneous Catalysis and Fine Chemicals was held under the auspices of the New Swiss Chemical Society in Basel, Switzerland. Fundamental as well as applied contributions on the use of heterogeneous catalysis for the preparation of fine chemicals were presented and discussed.The program consisted of 4 plenary lectures, 28 oral contributions and around 90 posters covering a broad range of reactions and catalytic aspects. 82 of these contributions are collected in the present proceedings, grouped into the following 8 topical areas:- Industrial and engineering problems (7 contributions)- Alkylation and acylation reactions (11 contributions)- Enantio- and diastereoselective hydrogenation reactions (9 contributions)- Chemoselective hydrogenation reactions (12 contributions)- Oxidation reactions (14 contributions)- Immobilized and encapsulated complex catalysts (12 contributions)- Zeolite and clay catalysts (12 contributions)- Miscellaneous topics (5 contributions)

With an enormous velocity, olefin polymerization has expanded to one of the most significant fields in polymers since the first industrial use about 50 years ago. In 2005, 100 million tons of polyolefins were produced - the biggest part was catalyzed by metallorganic compounds. The Hamburg Macromolecular Symposium 2005 with the title "Olefin Polymerization" involved topics such as new catalysts and cocatalysts, kinetics, mechanism and polymer reaction engineering, synthesis of special polymers, and characterization of polyolefins. The conference combined scientists from different disciplines to discuss latest research results of polymers and to offer each other the possibility of cooperation. This is reflected in this volume, which contains invited lectures and selected posters presented at the symposium.

The Role of Metals and Ligands in Organic Hydroformylation, by Luca Gonsalvi, Antonella Guerriero, Eric Monflier, Frédéric Hapiot, Maurizio Peruzzini. Hydroformylation in Aqueous Biphasic Media Assisted by Molecular Receptors, by Frédéric Hapiot, Hervé Bricout, Sébastien Tilloy, Eric Monflier. Asymmetric Hydroformylation, by Bernabé F. Perandones, Cyril Godard, Carmen Claver. Domino Reactions Triggered by Hydroformylation, by Elena Petricci, Elena Cini. Rhodium-Catalyzed Hydroformylation in Fused Azapolycycles Synthesis, by Roberta Settambolo. Hydroformylation in Natural Product Synthesis, by Roderick W. Bates, Sivarajan Kasinathan.

In less than 20 years N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have become well-established ancillary ligands for the preparation of transition metal-based catalysts. This is mainly due to the fact that NHCs tend to bind strongly to metal centres, avoiding the need of excess ligand in catalytic reactions. Also, NHC‒metal complexes are often insensitive to air and moisture, and have proven remarkably resistant to oxidation. This book showcases the wide variety of applications of NHCs in different chemistry fields beyond being simple phosphine mimics. This second edition has been updated throughout, and now includes a new chapter on NHC‒main group element complexes. It covers the synthesis of NHC ligands and their corresponding metal complexes, as well as their bonding and stereoelectronic properties and applications in catalysis. This is complemented by related topics such as organocatalysis and biologically active complexes. Written for organic and inorganic chemists, this book is ideal for postgraduates, researchers and industrialists.

The series Topics in Current Chemistry Collections presents critical reviews from the journal Topics in Current Chemistry organized in topical volumes. The scope of coverage is all areas of chemical science including the interfaces with related disciplines such as biology, medicine and materials science. The goal of each thematic volume is to give the non-specialist reader, whether in academia or industry, a comprehensive insight into an area where new research is emerging which is of interest to a larger scientific audience. 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.