Catalysis in Organic Syntheses contains the proceedings of the Seventh Conference on Catalysis in Organic Syntheses held in Chicago, 5-7 June 1978. The conference was sponsored by The Organic Reactions Catalysis Society, an affiliate of The Catalysis Society. Most of the papers reflect the main interest of the Society membership, namely, the application of catalysis as a tool for the synthetic organic chemist rather than studies of catalytic phenomena per se, the latter subject being amply covered in other symposia. It is not surprising then that the largest group of papers deal with catalytic hydrogenation, the catalytic reaction most often encountered in organic synthesis. Other subjects in the burgeoning field of catalysis are not neglected however, as evidenced by papers on the spectroscopic evaluation of catalysts, homogenous catalysis by organometallic complexes, and the catalysis of coal conversion. Finally a group of papers explore some safety considerations in performing catalytic transformations.