RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN ELECTRO-ORGANIC SYNTHESIS

There has been no better time than the present to initiate or continue research in electro-organic synthesis. The past decade has seen truly gigantic advances in the organization of sources of information, in the development of equipment and techniques, in the elucidation of principles, and in the achievement of significant results. Much remains to be done. It may seem somewhat foolhardy for an industrial chemist to invite fierce competitors to enter the lists. But I have sure knowledge that only a finite number of people will be arrayed against an infinite number of challenges. It is not difficult for each combatant to choose a fresh, stubborn adversary and to avoid merely giving the coup de grâce to a problem that has already been mortally wounded. Electro-organic synthesis is becoming more of a science and less of an art. This need not detract from the glamour and mystery of working in this field. As in every scientific endeavour, the solution of a challenging problem brings with it a sense of aesthetic fulfillment. © 1969 Springer-Verlag.