More than a decade has passed since the appearance of the last edition of the book “Carbon Monoxide in Organic Synthesis”. During the intervening period, the signiÂ- ficance of carbon monoxide chemistry has become even more evident. The oil crisis and the ever-present awareness of the constant depletion of the oil reserves have both contributed to a surge in activity. The fact that coal will once again replace oil in the near future as a feedstock source has been an impetus for new efforts in the field of carbon monoxide chemistry. Moreover, older almost neglected processes such as the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis have become a focal point for new activities. Therefore, the time was ripe to fundamentally revise “Carbon Monoxide in Organic Synthesis” and to complete its coverage by introducing the chapters “HomoÂ- logation” and “Carbon Monoxide Hydrogenation”. However, other important sectors of carbon monoxide chemistry such as the conÂ- version of synthesis gas to methanol or higher alcohols were excluded. These are treated in the book “Chemierohstoffe aus Kohle”, which devotes considerable attention to these syntheses. I would like to thank Drs. Bahrmann, Comils, Frohning, Mullen and Tummes, who had the task of compiling and critically evaluating the large volume of literature which has appeared during the last decade.
