Abstract
Microwave-assisted reaction is a method generally applicable to syntheses in organic, medicinal and combinatorial chemistry, and compared to conventional method offers enhanced speed, reproducibility and scalability. Microwave-assisted chemistry is a key technique that has made a significant contribution to the thermal and non-thermal control of synthetic reactions for the past many years by speeding up reaction times from days to merely minutes. An overview of the thermal effects and non-thermal microwave effects is presented in this article.