Edited by Z. Rappoport

In recent years The Chemistry of Functional Groups series has included three volumes on composite functional groups in which a C=C double bond was attached to another group. The chemistry of enones (edited by S. Patai and Z. Rappoport) appeared in 1989 The chemistry of enols (edited by Z. Rappoport) appeared in 1990 and The chemistry of enamines (edited by Z. Rappoport) appeared in 1994. We believe that the time has arrived for a book dealing with the combination of C=C double bonds, namely dienes and polyenes. The two double bonds can be conjugated, and conjugated dienes have a chemistry of their own, but even non-conjugated dienes show certain reactions that involve both double bonds. Allenes and cumulenes, which represent a different combination of the double bonds were treated in The chemistry ofketenes, allenes and related compounds, edited by S. Patai in 1980. 

The first volume on The Chemistry of Dienes and Polyenes in the series The Chemistry of Functional Groups (edited by Z. Rappoport) was published in 1997 and included 21 chapters — its table of contents appears at the end of this volume following the indexes. It was recognized then that several topics were not covered and a promise was made that a second volume covering these topics would be published in a few years. 

Edited by Z. Rappoport and J. F. Liebman 2009 John Wiley Sons, Ltd... 

---