The use of secondary interactions for the activation of non-reactive substrates constitutes a new and modern approach in catalysis. This first comprehensive treatment of this important research field covers the entire field and reveals the links between the various chemical disciplines. It thus adopts an interdisciplinary approach, making it of interest to the whole chemical community. A must for organic, inorganic, catalytic and complex chemists, as well as those working with/on organometallics.

Carsten Bolm became Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Marburg (Germany) in 1993, and since 1996 he is full professor for Organic Chemistry at the RWTH Aachen University (Germany). He helt visiting professorships at the universities in Madison, Wisconsin (USA), Paris (France), Florence (Italy), Milan (Italy), and Namur (Belgium). His list of awards include the Heinz-Maier-Leibnitz prize, the ADUC-Jahrespreis for habilitands, the annual prize for Chemistry of the Akademie der Wissenschaften zu G+¦ttingen, the Otto-Klung prize, the Otto-Bayer award, and a fellowship of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Ekkehardt Hahn became Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the Free University of Berlin in 1992. Since 1998 he is full professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of M++nster (Germany). He held visiting professorships at the University of California, Berkeley (USA), the Universidad de Zaragoza (Spain), the National University of Singapore, and the Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Academia Sinica, Shanghai (PR China). His received a Karl Winnacker Fellowship and was elected as a member of the Academia de Ciencas Exactas, Fisicas, Quimicas y Naturales de Zaragoza, Spain.