Keywords: Ring opening / Isomerizations / Cyclizations / Heteroaromaticity / RearrangementsRing transformations of five-membered heterocycles and their benzologues for the recent 10 years are discussed and reviewed. These transformations are classified into four groups: (a) ''classical ring transformations'', where the starting and resulting ring system is of the same size, but the heteroatoms and/or their positions have been changed; (b) ''degenerate ring transformations'', where during the course of the transformation the starting compound and product have the same ring system, but the reaction proceeds by a
A. IntroductionRearrangements of heterocyclic rings by temporary opening and subsequent closure to a new molecule are of par- [a] (1993). His research interests are mainly devoted to heterocyclic chemistry, synthesis and application of isotopically labelled compounds and, more recently, macrocyclic ring systems with regard to host-guest chemistry.MICROREVIEWS: This feature introduces the readers to the authors' research through a concise overview of the selected topic. Reference to important work from others in the field is included.