Retrosynthetic analysis

Last updated

Retrosynthetic analysis is a technique for solving problems in the planning of organic syntheses. This is achieved by transforming a target molecule into simpler precursor structures regardless of any potential reactivity/interaction with reagents. Each precursor material is examined using the same method. This procedure is repeated until simple or commercially available structures are reached. These simpler/commercially available compounds can be used to form a synthesis of the target molecule. E.J. Corey formalized this concept in his book The Logic of Chemical Synthesis. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

The power of retrosynthetic analysis becomes evident in the design of a synthesis. The goal of retrosynthetic analysis is a structural simplification. Often, a synthesis will have more than one possible synthetic route. Retrosynthesis is well suited for discovering different synthetic routes and comparing them in a logical and straightforward fashion. [4] A database may be consulted at each stage of the analysis, to determine whether a component already exists in the literature. In that case, no further exploration of that compound would be required. If that compound exists, it can be a jumping point for further steps developed to reach a synthesis.

Definitions

Disconnection
A retrosynthetic step involving the breaking of a bond to form two (or more) synthons.
Retron
A minimal molecular substructure that enables certain transformations.
Retrosynthetic tree
A directed acyclic graph of several (or all) possible retrosyntheses of a single target.
Synthon
A fragment of a compound that assists in the formation of a synthesis, derived from that target molecule. A synthon and the corresponding commercially available synthetic equivalent are shown below:
Synthon-example.gif
Target
The desired final compound.
Transform
The reverse of a synthetic reaction; the formation of starting materials from a single product.

Example

Shown below is a retrosynthetic analysis of phenylacetic acid:

Retrosynthetic analysis of phenylacetic acid.svg

In planning the synthesis, two synthons are identified. A nucleophilic "-COOH" group, and an electrophilic "PhCH2+" group. Both synthons do not exist as written; synthetic equivalents corresponding to the synthons are reacted to produce the desired product. In this case, the cyanide anion is the synthetic equivalent for the COOH synthon, while benzyl bromide is the synthetic equivalent for the benzyl synthon.

The synthesis of phenylacetic acid determined by retrosynthetic analysis is thus:

PhCH2Br + NaCN → PhCH2CN + NaBr
PhCH2CN + 2 H2O → PhCH2COOH + NH3
Synthesis of phenylacetic acid english.svg

In fact, phenylacetic acid has been synthesized from benzyl cyanide, [5] itself prepared by the analogous reaction of benzyl bromide with sodium cyanide. [6]

Strategies

Functional group strategies

Manipulation of functional groups can lead to significant reductions in molecular complexity.

Stereochemical strategies

Numerous chemical targets have distinct stereochemical demands. Stereochemical transformations (such as the Claisen rearrangement and Mitsunobu reaction) can remove or transfer the desired chirality thus simplifying the target.

Structure-goal strategies

Directing a synthesis toward a desirable intermediate can greatly narrow the focus of analysis. This allows bidirectional search techniques.

Transform-based strategies

The application of transformations to retrosynthetic analysis can lead to powerful reductions in molecular complexity. Unfortunately, powerful transform-based retrons are rarely present in complex molecules, and additional synthetic steps are often needed to establish their presence.

Topological strategies

The identification of one or more key bond disconnections may lead to the identification of key substructures or difficult to identify rearrangement transformations in order to identify the key structures.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allenes</span> Any organic compound containing a C=C=C group

In organic chemistry, allenes are organic compounds in which one carbon atom has double bonds with each of its two adjacent carbon atoms. Allenes are classified as cumulated dienes. The parent compound of this class is propadiene, which is itself also called allene. An group of the structure R2C=C=CR− is called allenyl, where R is H or some alkyl group. Compounds with an allene-type structure but with more than three carbon atoms are members of a larger class of compounds called cumulenes with X=C=Y bonding.

In organic chemistry, a methyl group is an alkyl derived from methane, containing one carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms, having chemical formula CH3. In formulas, the group is often abbreviated as Me. This hydrocarbon group occurs in many organic compounds. It is a very stable group in most molecules. While the methyl group is usually part of a larger molecule, bounded to the rest of the molecule by a single covalent bond, it can be found on its own in any of three forms: methanide anion, methylium cation or methyl radical. The anion has eight valence electrons, the radical seven and the cation six. All three forms are highly reactive and rarely observed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organic compound</span> Chemical compound with carbon-hydrogen bonds

Some chemical authorities define an organic compound as a chemical compound that contains a carbon–hydrogen or carbon–carbon bond; others consider an organic compound to be any chemical compound that contains carbon. For example, carbon-containing compounds such as alkanes and its derivatives are universally considered organic, but many others are sometimes considered inorganic, such as halides of carbon without carbon-hydrogen and carbon-carbon bonds, and certain compounds of carbon with nitrogen and oxygen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organic chemistry</span> Subdiscipline of chemistry, focusing on carbon compounds

Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms. Study of structure determines their structural formula. Study of properties includes physical and chemical properties, and evaluation of chemical reactivity to understand their behavior. The study of organic reactions includes the chemical synthesis of natural products, drugs, and polymers, and study of individual organic molecules in the laboratory and via theoretical study.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elias James Corey</span> American chemist (born 1928)

Elias James Corey is an American organic chemist. In 1990, he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his development of the theory and methodology of organic synthesis", specifically retrosynthetic analysis. Regarded by many as one of the greatest living chemists, he has developed numerous synthetic reagents, methodologies and total syntheses and has advanced the science of organic synthesis considerably.

Synthesis or synthesize may refer to:

Total synthesis is the complete chemical synthesis of a complex molecule, often a natural product, from simple, commercially-available precursors. It usually refers to a process not involving the aid of biological processes, which distinguishes it from semisynthesis. Syntheses may sometimes conclude at a precursor with further known synthetic pathways to a target molecule, in which case it is known as a formal synthesis. Total synthesis target molecules can be natural products, medicinally-important active ingredients, known intermediates, or molecules of theoretical interest. Total synthesis targets can also be organometallic or inorganic, though these are rarely encountered. Total synthesis projects often require a wide diversity of reactions and reagents, and subsequently requires broad chemical knowledge and training to be successful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medicinal chemistry</span> Scientific branch of chemistry

Medicinal or pharmaceutical chemistry is a scientific discipline at the intersection of chemistry and pharmacy involved with designing and developing pharmaceutical drugs. Medicinal chemistry involves the identification, synthesis and development of new chemical entities suitable for therapeutic use. It also includes the study of existing drugs, their biological properties, and their quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR).

Organic synthesis is a branch of chemical synthesis concerned with the construction of organic compounds. Organic compounds are molecules consisting of combinations of covalently-linked hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen atoms. Within the general subject of organic synthesis, there are many different types of synthetic routes that can be completed including total synthesis, stereoselective synthesis, automated synthesis, and many more. Additionally, in understanding organic synthesis it is necessary to be familiar with the methodology, techniques, and applications of the subject.

In retrosynthetic analysis, a synthon is a hypothetical unit within a target molecule that represents a potential starting reagent in the retroactive synthesis of that target molecule. The term was coined in 1967 by E. J. Corey. He noted in 1988 that the "word synthon has now come to be used to mean synthetic building block rather than retrosynthetic fragmentation structures". It was noted in 1998 that the phrase did not feature very prominently in Corey's 1981 book The Logic of Chemical Synthesis, as it was not included in the index. Because synthons are charged, when placed into a synthesis an uncharged form is found commercially instead of forming and using the potentially very unstable charged synthons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phenylacetic acid</span> Chemical compound

Phenylacetic acid, also known by various synonyms, is an organic compound containing a phenyl functional group and a carboxylic acid functional group. It is a white solid with a strong honey-like odor. Endogenously, it is a catabolite of phenylalanine. As a commercial chemical, because it can be used in the illicit production of phenylacetone, it is subject to controls in countries including the United States and China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiral auxiliary</span> Stereogenic group placed on a molecule to encourage stereoselectivity in reactions

In stereochemistry, a chiral auxiliary is a stereogenic group or unit that is temporarily incorporated into an organic compound in order to control the stereochemical outcome of the synthesis. The chirality present in the auxiliary can bias the stereoselectivity of one or more subsequent reactions. The auxiliary can then be typically recovered for future use.

Benzyl chloride, or α-chlorotoluene, is an organic compound with the formula C6H5CH2Cl. This colorless liquid is a reactive organochlorine compound that is a widely used chemical building block.

In organic chemistry, umpolung or polarity inversion is the chemical modification of a functional group with the aim of the reversal of polarity of that group. This modification allows secondary reactions of this functional group that would otherwise not be possible. The concept was introduced by D. Seebach and E.J. Corey. Polarity analysis during retrosynthetic analysis tells a chemist when umpolung tactics are required to synthesize a target molecule.

The Willard Gibbs Award, presented by the Chicago Section of the American Chemical Society, was established in 1910 by William A. Converse (1862–1940), a former Chairman and Secretary of the Chicago Section of the society and named for Professor Josiah Willard Gibbs (1839–1903) of Yale University. Gibbs, whose formulation of the Phase Rule founded a new science, is considered by many to be the only American-born scientist whose discoveries are as fundamental in nature as those of Newton and Galileo.

Ian Fleming is an English organic chemist, and an emeritus professor of the University of Cambridge, and an emeritus fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge. He was the first to determine the full structure of chlorophyll and was involved in the development of the synthesis of cyanocobalamin by Robert Burns Woodward. He has made major contributions to the use of organosilicon compounds for stereospecific syntheses; reactions which have found application in the synthesis of natural compounds. He is also a prolific author, and has written a number of textbooks, encyclopedia chapters and influential review articles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benzyl cyanide</span> Chemical compound

Benzyl cyanide (abbreviated BnCN) is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5CH2CN. This colorless oily aromatic liquid is an important precursor to numerous compounds in organic chemistry. It is also an important pheromone in certain species.

Xue-Min Cheng is a medicinal chemist, author and pharmaceutical executive best known as the co-author of The Logic of Chemical Synthesis, which formalized retrosynthesis. The concept for this Elias J. Corey won the 1990 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick L. Danheiser</span> American organic chemist

Rick L. Danheiser is an American organic chemist and is the Arthur C. Cope Professor of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and chair of the MIT faculty. His research involves the invention of new methods for the synthesis of complex organic compounds. Danheiser is known for the Danheiser annulation and Danheiser benzannulation reactions.

References

  1. E. J. Corey, X-M. Cheng (1995). The Logic of Chemical Synthesis. New York: Wiley. ISBN   978-0-471-11594-6.
  2. E. J. Corey (1988). "Retrosynthetic Thinking – Essentials and Examples". Chem. Soc. Rev. 17: 111–133. doi:10.1039/CS9881700111.
  3. E. J. Corey (1991). "The Logic of Chemical Synthesis: Multistep Synthesis of Complex Carbogenic Molecules (Nobel Lecture)" (Reprint). Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English . 30 (5): 455–465. doi:10.1002/anie.199104553.
  4. James Law et.al:"Route Designer: A Retrosynthetic Analysis Tool Utilizing Automated Retrosynthetic Rule Generation", Journal of Chemical Information and Modelling (ACS JCIM) Publication Date (Web): February 6, 2009; doi : 10.1021/ci800228y, http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ci800228y
  5. Wilhelm Wenner (1963). "Phenylacetamide". Organic Syntheses .; Collective Volume, vol. 4, p. 760
  6. Roger Adams; A. F. Thal (1941). "Benzyl Cyanide". Organic Syntheses .{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link); Collective Volume, vol. 1, p. 107