The use of Lewis acids in organic synthesis, especially in catalysis is one of the most rapidly developing fields in synthetic organic chemistry. In addition, Lewis acid catalysis is one of the key technologies for asymmetric synthesis, and combinatorial chemistry as well as for large-scale production. Until now, pertinent information on these topics was scattered throughout the literature. Although review articles have appeared,it was difficult for the researcher to compare different methods based on Lewis acids. This two-volume handbook, edited and written by an outstanding team of experts in the field, fills this gap! This book is based on a classification according to metal centre of these electron-deficient compounds, allowing an in-depth treatment of the characteristics, benefits and limitations of each class of acid. Extensive cross-referencing and a comprehensive index enables readers to quickly find the solution to their synthesis problem. The chemical community will welcome this as a source of inspiration and invaluable reference for daily work.