The in-lab preparation of some chemical reagents provides a number of advantages over purchasing commercially prepared samples. This volume contains a detailed description of methods for the rapid and reliable synthesis of many useful reagents that can be difficult to obtain. It provides spectroscopic analyses of products, presents the thermodynamic/kinetic data of reactions, and offers a thorough analysis of the purity of the final products. An additional feature is the mathematical modeling of reactions, some for the first time, with a comparison to the experiment. Enhanced by useful diagrams and photographs, this text is a valuable reference for researchers in small or remote laboratories.

Graduating with a BSc (Hons.) in 1984 and a MSc in 1985 from the Victoria University of Wellington, Leonid Lerner obtained his PhD in physics from Cambridge University, UK, in 1989. From 1990-1993 he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Optical Science Centre and Laser Physics Centre of the Australian National University (ANU), and a lecturer in Physics ANU 1994-1996. Leonid has worked in a number of different fields in the natural sciences and has published in a range of scientific disciplines. Currently he is a research scientist at the Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Adelaide, and Honorary Fellow at the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide.