Modern organic synthesis has paid much attention to the chemistry of small carbocycles. Vinylidenecyclopropanes (VDCPs), which have strained cyclopropyl group connected with an allene moiety and yet are thermally stable and reactive substances in organic chemistry, are versatile intermediates in organic synthesis. In this volume, Dr. Lixiong Shao, Dr. Jianmei Lu and Prof. Dr. Min Shi review their investigations on the chemistry of VDCPs, mainly including the preparation, the reactivities upon treatment with Lewis or Brønsted acid, as well as transition metal catalysts and some other miscellaneous analogues. The contributions aroused a renaissance of cationic intermediates in the chemistry of VDCPs.

Dr. Lixiong Shao received his BS degree in Chemistry from Zhejiang University (2001) and PhD from Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SIOC, CAS) under the direction of Professor Min Shi (2006). Then he moved to East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) as an Assistant Professor (2006.7-2007.12). Now he is now an Associate Professor in Wenzhou University, Zhejiang Province, where his main research interest is the design of novel N-heterocyclic carbene-metal complexes and their applications in carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds formations.

Dr. Jianmei Lu received her BS degree in Chemistry from East China Normal University (2003) and PhD from Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SIOC, CAS) under the direction of Professor Min Shi (2008). Then she moved to Wenzhou University as an Associate Professor, where her main research interest is the design of novel N-heterocyclic carbene-metal complexes and their applications in carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds formations.

Prof. Dr. Min Shi received his BS degree from Institute of Chemical Engineering of East China (now named as East China University of Science and Technology) in 1984 and PhD from Osaka University, Japan (1991). He had his postdoctoral research experience with Prof. Kenneth M. Nicholas at University of Oklahoma (1995-1996) and worked as an ERATO Researcher in Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST) (1996-1998). He is currently a group leader in the State Key Laboratory of Organometallic Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SIOC, CAS), where his research interests involving the chemistry of Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction, the chemistry of small-ring compounds such as methylenecyclopropanes and vinylidenecyclopropanes and the design of novel N-heterocyclic carbene-metal complexes derived from 1,1'-binaphthalenyl-2,2'-diamine (BINAM) and their applications in asymmetric synthesis. Prof. Min Shi is also a Professor (Changjiang Scholar) in East China University of Science and Technology.

From the contents:
Introduction

Lewis or Brønsted acid-mediated transformations of VDCPs
Transition metal-catalyzed transformation of VDCPs
Miscellaneous analogues
Concluding remarks and perspectives of VDCPs.