Question

Histrory of organic compounds synthesised in lab

Answer 1

Synthetic organic chemists have the power to replicate some of the most intriguing molecules of living nature in the laboratory and apply their developed synthetic strategies and technologies to construct variations of them. Such molecules facilitate biology and medicine, as they often find uses as biological tools and drug candidates for clinical development. In addition, by employing sophisticated catalytic reactions and appropriately designed synthetic processes, they can synthesize not only the molecules of nature and their analogues, but also myriad other organic molecules for potential applications in many areas of science, technology and everyday life. After a short historical introduction, this article focuses on recent advances in the field of organic synthesis with demonstrative examples of total synthesis of complex bioactive molecules, natural or designed, from the author’s laboratories, and their impact on chemistry, biology and medicine.

Keywords: chemistry, biology, medicine, natural products, anti-cancer agents, neurotoxins

1. Introduction

Among what matters the most is matter itself. It is, therefore, not a surprise that chemistry, the science of matter, is considered by many as the central science lying between physics and biology. Its power derives from its ability to analyse and synthesize molecules from atoms and other, more or less complex, molecules. The latter practice, synthesis, is of paramount importance to our well-being, for through it we create new chemical entities (i.e. molecules) from which we derive our most precious material items. A subdiscipline of synthesis is organic synthesis, the art and science of constructing substances, natural or designed, whose primary element is carbon. The flagship of organic synthesis is total synthesis, the endeavour of synthesizing the molecules of living nature in the laboratory. The ability of man to replicate the molecules of living creatures, and create other molecules like them, is a remarkable development in human history. Its birth goes back to 1828, when German chemist Friedrich Wöhler, a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS), synthesized urea, an example of a naturally occurring substance from the living world [1]. Such molecules are commonly known as natural products, a term usually referring to secondary metabolites. The creative nature of total synthesis earned this discipline the privilege of being called a fine art and a precise science. Technologies derived from it, and organic synthesis in general, have led to an impressive host of benefits to society, including useful products ranging from pharmaceuticals, dyes, cosmetics and agricultural chemicals to diagnostics and high-technology materials used in computers, mobile phones and spaceships [2].

2. Organic synthesis in perspective

The world has changed dramatically in the last two centuries as a result of scientific discoveries and their applications. One of the most profound of these discoveries is the advent of organic synthesis as marked by Wöhler’s synthesis of urea. And although its foundations go back before that era, this initial event, together with developments in structural theory and analytical techniques, gave momentum to its advancement and application in several fields. But what were the conditions and foundations that allowed this science to emerge? And from where did they come? To answer these questions, we must go back to ancient times, when humans were practising transformations of matter as a means to prepare food, medicines, dyes, tools and weapons. The artefacts left behind from ancient civilizations like those of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans and Chinese provide evidence for such endeavours, although there was no significant understanding of the nature of these transformations. The curiosity about nature, however, drove the Ancient Greeks to think and speculate about matter, a practice that led to Democritus’ atomic theory.

The latter served as the basis from which the more precise atomic theory of the English chemist and physicist John Dalton, a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), emerged at the dawn of the nineteenth century. Dalton’s theory was one of the most influential theoretical developments in science of all time and gave enormous momentum to further the advancement of chemistry [3]. But before we move forward in time, we must mention the alchemists and their practices that can be traced back to thousands of years ago in the Middle East and the Orient, and prevailed later on during the Middle Ages in Europe. From these endeavours, modern chemistry emerged slowly in the eighteenth century. Among the main protagonists responsible for the transition to modern chemistry from alchemy was Irish-born Robert Boyle (FRS), who was both an alchemist and a modern chemist. He exposed his philosophies in his bookThe Sceptical Chymist, which was published in 1661, one year after the Royal Society was founded.