Microwave synthesis represents one of the important dimensions of modern chemistry. Microwave heating allows substantially improved productivity of many chemical processes with reduced formation of by-products caused by overheating. The basic research is focused on fundamental aspects of microwave chemistry such as effects of microwave energy parameters (pulse duration, frequency, power) as well as chemical parameters (structure of starting materials, nature of solvents, type of reactions) on the outcome of microwave-assisted chemical processes. Practical applications of microwave synthesis include production of new drug precursors and other chemical materials. The microwave chemistry project is a collaborative effort between the Physical Organic Chemistry Group and the Ceramic Processing Group. Extensive microwave processing facilities are available including 2.45 GHz units up to 500 liter processing volume and 12 kW power, and variable frequency units (2-8 GHz) up to 2 kW power.