Amino acids are increasingly becoming the first compound that chemists turn to when planning a synthesis leading to a homochiral target. Much of this activity is centered around peptide synthesis, however there is a very wide and demanding range of chemistry that describes the synthesis of derivatives of the α-amino acids and some uses of those derivatives that do not involve peptides. This book supports several of these areas of chemistry and describes representative methods for introducing substituents at the amino group, modifying carboxy groups, and modifying the side-chains of some common α-amino acids. There is little discussion of peptide synthesis, although some of the basic protocols in the book are relevant to the modification of amino acids for this purpose. Instead, the authors here focus on the rapidly growing applications of amino acids in many other areas of modern organic synthesis. Any synthetic work carried out by those in the fields of organic and medicinal chemistry will be supported by the detailed practical protocols and background information provided in this book.