Total synthesis-the complete construction of a complex (often natural) molecule from simple reagents-has long been seen as the epitome of the art. For at the root of the impulse to build molecules is a deep, cherished belief that arguably distinguishes chemistry from other sciences: that there is an art in making, worth nurturing for its own sake.Ĭhemical synthesis can entail many things-minor modification of existing molecular frameworks, for example, or making new materials. That diversity of purpose is how it should be. Another might delight in, and be curious about, the variety of shapes and structures that molecules can have.
One chemist might want to explore theoretical questions, such as what constitutes a bond. There are also less utilitarian reasons for making molecules. In 2015, chemists published a new and elegant route to the anticancer drug paclitaxel (Taxol) (1), and syntheses of a nodulisporic acid that might act as an insecticide (2) and, in this journal, of an anti-HIV alkaloid (3). That is why chemical synthesis is still vibrant, and will continue to supply the drugs, materials and commodities of the twenty-first century.
Why do chemists make molecules? The obvious (and true) answer is: because we need them.
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