Out of the oil bath and into the oven - microwave-assisted combinatorial chemistry heats up

The application of microwave irradiation to expedite solid-phase organic reactions could be the tool that allows combinatorial chemistry to deliver on its promise-providing rapid access to large collections of diverse small molecules. Herein, several different approaches to microwave (MW)-assisted solid-phase reactions and library synthesis are introduced, including the use of solid-supported reagents, multicomponent coupling reactions, solvent-free parallel library synthesis, and spatially addressable library synthesis on planar solid supports. The future impact of MW-assisted organic reactions on solid-phase and combinatorial chemistry could prove to be immense, and methods for further improvement of this strategic combination of technologies are highlighted.