Synthesis aesthetics

A.I. Tauber (ed.) The Elusive Synthesis Aesthetics and Science. 1996 ISBN 0-7923-3904-5... 

In 1982, Leo A. Paquette s group (Ohio State University) announced the successful synthesis of the complex, symmetric, and aesthetically appealing ... 

The synthesis of [4.4.4.4]fenestrane or windowpane has become an active area of research due to the aesthetic appeal of the hydrocarbon and the nature of its central quaternary carbon atom which is expected to be distorted from normal tetrahedral geometry . Ongoing investigations have generated a number of ring-expanded triquinane and tetraquinane ([5.5.5.5]fenestrane) homologs. These molecules form the subject matter of the discussion which follows. 

The synthesis of interlocking ring molecular systems and knots combines both sets of motivation but it also adds an aesthetic dimension to the chemical problem. Indeed the search for aesthetically attractive molecules has been a goal since the very origin of chemistry. 

In craft there is what Polanyi (1962) calls a tacit knowledge we know more than we can express. And so perhaps it is in the processes of engineering synthesis and analysis or in the lines of enquiry, theoretical or experimental, that aesthetic considerations have their place. Who can forget the simplicity and directness of some of G. I. Taylor s experiments Astarita suggested that... 

However, the results obtained in recent years have also established that the structural characteristics of the established dendrimer systems, such as the absence of a well-defined secondary structure, have limited the development of efficient abiotic enzyme mimics based on dendrimers. To achieve this ambitious goal, more efforts in dendrimer synthesis will be necessary. The use of dendritic catalysts in biphasic solvent systems has only just begun and appears to be a particularly fruitful field for further developments. These utilitarian aspects aside, it is the aesthetic attraction of these topologically highly regular macromolecules that continues to fascinate those working in the field of dendrimer catalysis. 

To a synthetic chemist, the complex molecules of Nature are as beautiful as any of her other creations. .. The chemist who designs and completes an original and aesthetically pleasing multistep synthesis is like a composer, artist or poet who, with great individualityfashions newforms of beautyfrom the interplay ofmind and spirit. ... 

Dendritic architectures have attracted the interest of many scientists recently. The aesthetically pleasing tree-like moleeules combine advanced synthesis and unique properties with the prospects of supramolecular technologies. The guest-host properties of these well-defined macromolecules are of great interest, because they resemble the interactions of small molecules with biomacromolecules like proteins, and they are able to close the gap between the traditional supramolecular interactions of smaller molecules and the interactions in larger (phase-separated) macromolecular systems. In recent years a large number of interesting results have been reported, in which supramolecular interactions and dendritic architectures are combined. 

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