An increasing collection of chemical compounds is now prepared by MultiComponent Reactions (MCRs), since a synthesis by a MCR can be accomplished just by mixing their educts and their yields are usually much higher than by the multistep syntheses that correspond to sequences of many steps. The latter require much preparative work and their yield decreases with each step. With the exception of Passerini's work, in the first century of the MCRs and chemistry of the isocyanides were not combined. These two parts of chemistry were combined in 1959 when the four component reaction of the isocyanides (U-4CR) was introduced. In the usual chemistry, their MCRs are less used than its normal reactions, whereas in the chemistry of the isocyanides more MCRs and their libraries are carried out than those of one or two components. Recently, the stereoselective one-pot syntheses of peptide derivatives and polycyclic β-lactam derivatives by the U-4CR were accomplished. The chemistry of the isocyanides, the MCRs and their libraries was for many decades of moderate interest, but since 1995 this chemistry became industrially one of its most active fields, and now there more new compounds are formed by the MCRs than by any other methods. Using automating instruments, up to 20,000 and more compounds of MCRs can be produced by a single person in one day. Recently further progress was achieved, when Weber et al. introduced a new mathematically oriented data based computer program by which it is possible to predict preferred products of MCRs and their libraries, and thus new desirable products can even more efficiently be prepared.
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