The reference work Science of Synthesis: Catalytic Transformations via C-H Activation covers the state of the art in C-H activation chemistry. Experts in the field present the best synthetic methods including typical or general experimental procedures. As such, this two volume set can serve as both a basis for the practical application of the techniques discussed, and as an educational resource to lay the foundations for future research.

Volume 1 concerns the formation of C-C bonds by both arene and hetarene C-H activation. For the arenes the material is subdivided into arylation (using palladium(0), palladium(II)/palladium(IV), palladium(II), and ruthenium(II) catalysts), vinylation (using various palladium and ruthenium(III) catalysts), and alkylation (using various metal catalysts in combination with either functionalized alkanes or alkenes). For the hetarenes, the related coupling strategies are covered as a single topic using a variety of metal catalysts and coupling partners.