The Diels-Alder reaction continues to be the premier method for the construction of complex organic molecules. In the last 10 years many developments have been introduced, and have led to increased utility of this reaction. In this review we present some of these novelties, which are of fundamental importance in organic synthesis.

The bakkenolide group of sesquiterpenes has been a focal point of synthetic efforts amongst several research laboratories all linked to our common origins at the Chemistry Institute at the State University in São Paulo. In this review we would like to present a historical perspective of this research, with unpublished background information, and a definitive retrosynthetic analysis of these molecules. This chemistry spans the time period from 1972 to 2006, and traces the initial steps with Prof. Dr. Helena Ferraz to the present day.

The NAS/CNPq programme in Chemistry ran from 1969 to 1974, and brought recent PhD and post-doctoral chemists to the Chemistry Institutes at the University of São Paulo and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. The purpose was to create and direct new research topics in selected areas of chemistry, and participate in the post-graduate programmes. As a participant in this programme, I present my personal views, some background information, and an evaluation of this programme for the advance of synthetic organic chemistry in Brazil.

Descrevemos uma síntese do esqueleto carbônico dos sesquiterpenos do grupo eudesmano substituído nos carbonos 1 e 6, que se baseia na versão multicomponente da reação de Diels-Alder.

We report a synthesis of the 1,6-disubstituted eudesmane sesquiterpene carbon skeleton, based upon a multicomponent Diels-Alder reaction.

The olefin metathesis reaction allows the exchange of complex alkyl units between two olefins, with the formation of a new olefinic link and a sub-product olefin usually ethylene. This reaction has found extensive application in the last ten years with the development of the Grubbs and Schrock catalysts, in total synthesis of complex organic molecules, as opposed to the very important use in the petrochemical industry with relatively simple molecules. This review intends to trace a historical and mechanistic pathway from industry to academy, before illustrating the more recent advances.

Na última década tem havido um enorme progresso na reação de Diels-Alder, principalmente nas aplicações sintéticas da versão intramolecular (IMDA) e sua variação macrocíclica transanular (TADA). Esta revisão pretende abordar estas inovações, enfocando a relação fundamental entre os conceitos sintéticos e os avanços experimentais, e com o envolvimento crescente dos estudos teóricos relacionados.

The last ten years have seen an explosive growth in synthetic applications of the Diels-Alder reaction, principally the intramolecular (IMDA) reaction but also the transannular (TADA) version. In this review we present these developments with special emphasis on the synthetic concepts and the experimental results and include related theoretical studies.

The post-graduate teaching of chemistry in Brazil over the last years is discussed, including comparisons with some other sciences and also experiences in the United States and the United Kingdom. We have also compared the more recent situation with the previous decade, which leads us to a favourable conclusion as to the results obtained in the teaching of post-graduate students in chemistry. Some conclusions and recommendations are made with respect to the near future.