IntroductionDynamic combinatorial chemistry ( DCC ) [1 -3] was originally developed to solve the problem of obtaining compounds with distinctive molecular recognition properties. These could be either ligands for biomolecules or synthetic receptors for small -molecule guests. Obtaining such molecules by a design -and -synthesis approach remains a daunting task; we simply do not suffi ciently understand issues like conformation and cooperation of the many individually weak noncovalent interactions that together determine effi ciency in molecular recognition. In DCC this problem is circumvented by limiting the design to only small fragments, which are assembled into the desired structures under the direction of the molecules themselves. A description of the basic principles of DCC is provided in Chapter 1 . Chapters 3 and 5 in this book provide ample proof that this approach indeed facilitates effi cient access to synthetic receptors and small -molecule ligands alike. The concept of DCC has also been explored in the context of catalyst development (Chapter 4 ) and polymer chemistry (Chapter 6 ).In many of these applications of DCC the purpose is to identify a specifi c molecule with exceptional properties. The dynamic combinatorial library ( DCL ) is then merely a vehicle through which this molecule may be generated and discovered. In a typical experiment a library is prepared by mixing building blocks, and its composition is analyzed in the absence and presence of an added template molecule or some other stimulus. Any compound in the mixture that is signifi cantly amplifi ed upon addition of the template should be a strong binder. This principle still drives much of the work in DCC, but is arguably rather simplistic. DCLs are complex mixtures of species that are interconnected through a set of equilibria and mass balances, and can behave in ways that are not always immediately intuitive, particularly when the focus is on the amplifi cation of individual molecules. In order to fully appreciate the behavior of a DCL it should be regarded in its entirety as a molecular network that strives to attain the lowest overall Gibbs energy. One of the implications is that the extent to which template binding and amplifi cation are correlated can vary, depending in part on how the experiments Dynamic Combinatorial Chemistry. Edited by Joost N. H. Reek and Sijbren Otto