Editorial [Hot Topic: Natural Product Chemistry and Heterogeneous Catalysis (Guest Editor: Massimo Curini)]

The 2006 Natural Product Chemistry and Heterogeneous Catalysis issue of Current Organic Chemistry contains five contributions from eminent scientists in different fileds. The first subject deals with nitroalkanes and their recent synthetic applications. Their chemistry is reviewed by Ballini and coworkers. Mohamad Ali Zolfigol and coworkers provide insights abouth the use of Silica Sulfuric Acid and Silica Chloride as effficient catalysts in organic synthesis. Both reviews represent excellent contributions in the field of heterogeneous catalysis. The other three reviews are focused on Natural Product Chemistry. Hong and coworkers provide a novel overview of recent results concerning catalytic carbon-carbon bond formation in natural product synthesis covering years from 2000 to 2005. Catalytic oxidative processes in steroid chemistry is the topic of review by Salvador and coworkers. Finally Vidari and coworkers review what is currently known with regard to biomimetic cyclizations of functionalized isoprenoid polyenes. I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the authors for providing these articles and for the fascinating results described.