Serendipitous

Barrett A H 1983 The beginnings of moleoular radio astronomy Serendipitous Discoveries in Radio Astronomy ed K Kellerman and B Sheets (Green Bank, WV NRAO)... 

A broader view would include the addition of a substrate to stimulate the growth of organisms known to degrade the contaminant of interest only as an incidental part of their metaboHsm, one might almost say serendipitously. This process is sometimes called co-metaboHsm, and it too has had success. 

Aromatic Amines and Phenols. The discovery that sulfaguanidine [57-67-0] was goitrogenic to rats was serendipitous. Many related compounds were then examined, and the aniline moiety was usually present (2,6). Such compounds, as well as resorcinol-like phenols, may act as goitrogens by inhibiting thyroid peroxidases. These are not used clinically. 

Fleming s serendipitous observation of the lysis of staphylococcus colonies in the vicinity of Penicillium notatum 29MI51100). 

The largest protonated cluster of water molecules yet definitively characterized is the discrete unit lHi306l formed serendipitously when the cage compound [(CyHin)3(NH)2Cll Cl was crystallized from a 10% aqueous hydrochloric acid solution. The structure of the cage cation is shown in Fig. 14.14 and the unit cell contains 4 [C9H,8)3(NH)2aiCUHnOfiiai- The hydrated proton features a short. symmetrical O-H-0 bond at the centre of symmetry und 4 longer unsymmetrical O-H - 0 bonds to 4... 

In 1955, Hurd and Mori first described the preparation of 1,2,3-thiadiazole as an unexpected product from the reaction of the hydrazone 5 and thionyl chloride. The authors were attempting to prepare the six membered anhydride 7 in an analogous manner to the 5-membered anhydride 9, prepared from 8 using thionyl chloride. However, when the hydrazone 5 and thionyl chloride were mixed and heated at 60°C for 1 hour followed by cooling, the thiadiazole acid 6 precipitated out and was isolated by filtration. This serendipitous discovery led to a significant advance in the synthesis of thiadi azoles. 

Still further simplification of the structural requirements for central analgesic activity came from the serendipitous observation that the simple phenyl pi peri dine, meperidine... 

What finally saw the book through to its conclusion I confess to not having a solid answer. However, I am fairly certain that, had it not been for a serendipitous intervention of Jungian synchronicity, the book would never have been completed. In my professional capacity as a research analyst for the US Navy (working for a think tank that also does work for the Marine Corps), I had the distinct privilege and honor of getting to know a truly visionary military thinker Lt.Gen (Ret) Paul van Riper. 

Sapphyrins were discovered serendipitously by Woodward33 during the course of synthetic studies directed towards the total synthesis of vitamin B, 2. The sapphyrins were the first example of expanded porphyrins in the literature. Due to sapphyrin exhibiting a deep-blue color in the crystalline state and intense green in solution. Woodward coined the expression sapphyrin with reference to the deep-blue color of sapphire stones. 

An example of a serendipitous discovery in a field related to diazo chemistry is the first in vitro product of a reaction of molecular nitrogen with a transition metal complex (Allen and Senoff, 1965). As discussed in the context of diazo-metal complexes (Zollinger, 1995, Sec. 3.3), the metal —N2 bonds are similar to C —N2 bonds in organic diazo compounds. The paradigm that N2 is (almost) inert in chemical reactions probably explains why it took so long for N2 complexes to be discovered. ... 

Sir Bernard Lovell, the founder of Britain s Jodrell Bank Observatory, brings our attention to a present development which, unfortunately, does not favor serendipitous discoveries. What he wrote about astronomy in 1984 is certainly valid for chemistry too I was enthusiastic when. .. computers became a major force in astronomical research. .. But even the greatest blessings tend to be mixed. .. Computers are no exception. .. I fear that literal-minded, narrowly focused computerized research is proving antithetical to the free exercise of that happy faculty known as serendipity. .. . 

A single example of a rr-alkyl molybdenum complex was serendipitously prepared from a solution of the very light-sensitive dicarbonyl complex Mo(TPP)(CO)2. 

This serendipitous discovery marked the beginning of the synthetic dyestuffs industry, based on coal tar as its main raw material, which is, incidentally, a waste product from another industry, steel manufacture. The development of mauveine was followed by efficient syntheses of natural dyes such as alizarin in 1869 (Graebe and Liebermann, 1869), and indigo in 1878 (Bayer, 1878 Heumann, 1890). The synthetic production of these dyes marked the demise of the agricultural production of these materials and the advent of a science-based, predominantly German chemical industry. The present-day fine chemicals and specialties, e.g. pharmaceuticals, industries developed largely as spin-offs of this coal tar-based dyestuffs industry. 

The discovery that mass spectrometry would soon usurp many of the tasks performed by radioactive counting was in itself serendipitous. It came about because a fundamental issue in cosmochemistry was at stake. Although variation in had... 

Thus, the initial result of the stoichiometric boiylation of arenes was discovered serendipitously. However, the development of this initial observation into the catalytic borylation of alkane C-H bonds was largely based on the design of complexes for the stoichiometric functionalization of alkanes and then the catalytic functionalization of alkanes. 

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