Microwaves have been termed “the Bunsen burner of the 21st century”. The influence of this technique on the current medicinal chemistry methods can only be described as astonishing, specially in terms of time, one of the most critical parameters in drug discovery. A long way is still ahead and chemistry boundaries are expanding constantly. Given our interest in microwave-assisted reactions, we have selected for this month the review “Microwave-assisted Organic Synthesis and Transformations using Benign Reaction Media” by Polshettiwar and Varma. This review covers recent advances in the preparation of nitrogen heterocycles in aqueous media, reactions in ionic liquids, and others.


Microwave-Assisted Organic Synthesis and Transformations using Benign Reaction Media
Acc. Chem. Res. 2008, 41 (5), pp 629–639.
See: 10.1021/ar700238s