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Nature 446, 383-385 (22 March 2007) | doi:10.1038/446383a; Published online 21 March 2007

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Organic chemistry: Synthesis undressed

John A. Porco, Jr1

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Fragile chemical groups can be shielded from harsh reaction conditions by temporary protection. This approach is conventional wisdom for organic synthesis, but is it always the best solution?

Ask any organic chemist about their worst nightmare, and they'll probably give you the same answer: not being able to remove 'protecting groups'. These handy chemical groups are used to safeguard parts of a molecule that would otherwise be destroyed under the reaction conditions of a synthesis.

  1. John A. Porco Jr is in the Department of Chemistry, Center for Chemical Methodology and Library Development, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
    Email: porco@bu.edu

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