One of the very best things about organic chemistry is actually doing experimental work at the beneh. This applies not only at the profes- sionallevel but also from the earliest stages of apprenticeship to the craft as a student. The fascination sterns from the nature of the sub- ject itself, with its vast array of different types of reaction and its al- most infinite variety of different chemical compounds. Each reaction and each new compound pose their own particular problems to chal- lenge the skill and ingenuity of the chemist, whether working in a first-year teaching la bora tory or at...