Chemical Synthesis target molecule

It is not surprising that multistep synthesis of challenging and complex target molecules is an engine for the discovery of new synthetic principles and novel methodology which may have very broad application. Just as each component of structural complexity can signal a strategy for synthesis, each obstacle to the realization of a chemical synthesis presents an opportunity for scientific discovery. 

Antithetic Analysis. (Synonymous with Retrosynthetic Analysis) A problem-solving technique for transforming the structure of a synthetic target molecule to a sequence of progressively simpler structures along a pathway which ultimately leads to simple or commercially available starting materials for a chemical synthesis. 

There are a large number of naturally occurring molecules which have not yet been obtained by chemical synthesis. A convenient source of information on such compounds is The Dictionary of Organic Compounds, Fifth Addition (1982) and Supplements 1-5, published as a multivolume series by Chapman and Hall, New York and London J. Buckingham, Executive Editor. This compendium contains references to syntheses which are not included in this collection, especially those involving simpler target structures. 

When chiral, drugs and other molecules obtained from natural sources or by semisynthesis usually contain one of the possible enantiomeric forms. However, those obtained by total synthesis often consist of mixtures of both enantiomers. In order to develop commercially the isolated enantiomers, two alternative approaches can be considered (i) enantioselective synthesis of the desired enantiomer or (ii) separation of both isomers from a racemic mixture. The separation can be performed on the target molecule or on one of its chemical precursors obtained from conventional synthetic procedures. Both strategies have their advantages and drawbacks. 

Combinatorial Chemistry. Figure 1 Whereas in classical chemical synthesis one target molecule was prepared in combinatorial chemistry the systematic combination of building blocks generates chemical libraries. 

Compound Registration. A common step in a chemical synthesis experiment is the reaction of one or more existing molecules to form a desired product. This necessitates selecting molecules from a chemical database or repository and registering the target molecule into that same chemical database or... 

His research program focuses on the asymmetric synthesis of biologically active, stereo-chemically complex, natural products. Target molecules are selected which pose unique challenges in asymmetric bond construction. A complex multistep synthesis endeavour... 

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