Dr. Jains early research work relates to the chemistry of natural products, especially polyphenolics. His approach has been largely synthetic, though he has also examined a number of important plants for their chemical components and elucidated their structures. In recent years, he has evolved new methods for the synthesis of polyphenols. Among these are important isoflavonoids occurring in nature and the related group of 3-phenyl 4 hydroxycoumarins found in many Derris roots in place of the earlier well-known and more toxic rotenoids. They include several compounds that contain terpenoid side chains and rings. The serious difficulties involved in their synthesis have been effectively solved.