AI Summary
The content discusses a recent study published in the journal Science where a team of Yale chemists managed to synthesize a unique class of anticancer molecules found in bryozoans using a novel approach. This successful synthesis was achieved by combining creative chemical strategies with advanced technology for small molecule structure determination. The molecules had intricate structures consisting of oxidized rings and nitrogen atoms, making them challenging to recreate in a laboratory setting. This breakthrough has significant implications for the field of synthetic chemistry and cancer research.
Nearly 30 years ago, scientists discovered a unique class of anticancer molecules in a family of bryozoans, a phylum of marine invertebrates found in tropical waters.
The chemical structures of these molecules, which consist of a dense, highly complex knot of oxidized rings and nitrogen atoms, has attracted the interest of organic chemists worldwide, who aimed to recreate these structures from scratch in the laboratory. However, despite considerable effort, it has remained an elusive task. Until now, that is.
A team of Yale chemists, writing in the journal Science, has succeeded in synthesizing eight of the compounds for the first time using an approach that combines inventive chemical strategy with the latest technology in small molecule structure determination.
“These molecules have been an outstanding challenge in the field of synthetic chemistry,” said Seth Herzon, the Milton Harris ’29 Ph.D. Professor of Chemistry in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and