The essence of total synthesis
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037; and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093
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Edited by Jack Halpern, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, (received for review May 27, 2004)
Abstract
For the past century, the total synthesis of natural products has served as the flagship of chemical synthesis and the principal driving force for discovering new chemical reactivity, evaluating physical organic theories, testing the power of existing synthetic methods, and enabling biology and medicine. This perspective article seeks to examine this time-honored and highly demanding art, distilling its essence in an effort to ascertain its power and future potential.
Footnotes
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↵ * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: kcn{at}scripps.edu.
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This paper was submitted directly (Track II) to the PNAS office.
- Copyright © 2004, The National Academy of Sciences
