β-Lactams: retrospect and prospect

Interest in β-lactams as a class was prompted by the discovery of penicillin and cephalosporin, and this interest continues unabated because of the therapeutic importance of β-lactam antibiotics and recent finding of new naturally occurring β-lactams. As a result of vigorous research, a vast literature has accumulated over the years, and the chemistry of β-lactams continues to be a blossoming field. In this article, an attempt has been made to evaluate critically this prolific development, and the chemistry of β-lactams is presented in an integrated form and in its proper perspective under the following headings.