The reports in this volume were originally given at the 4th Kyoto Conference in November 1988. Representatives were present from the fields of organic chemistry, physical organic chemistry, biochemistry and polymer chemistry. Discussions centred on organic synthesis, a topic of primary importance to their work. The 25 contributions from laboratories in Japan, Europe and the U.S. fall into three divisions: efficiency in organic synthesis, organic synthesis for materials science, and organic synthesis for life science. The unifying theme is the constant demand for yet higher yields and still greater selectivity in organic synthesis.