Activating Agents and Protecting Groups A. J. Pearson Case Western University, Ohio, USA W. R. Roush University of Michigan, USA Recognising the critical need for bringing a handy reference work that deals with the most popular reagents in synthesis to the laboratory of practising organic chemists, the Editors of the acclaimed Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis (EROS) have selected the most important and useful reagents employed in contemporary organic synthesis. The reagents included in this volume reflect the fact that protecting groups and activation procedures are often used in combination. Accordingly, the most important reagents used to protect amines, alcohols, carboxyl, carbonyl and other reactive functional groups are included in this volume. The list of activating agents includes well known reagents that activate functional groups for substitution or elimination reactions, as well as less traditional examples, e.g. HMPA used to "activate" enolates and alkyllithium reagents to increase the nucleophilicity. Each article contains all of the information found in EROS as well as expanded related reagents listings and additional references to enable the reader to quickly access a broad range of information that is beyond the scope of the reagent entries themselves. This text will prove to be an invaluable resource.