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Comments on Recent Achievements in Biomimetic Organic Synthesis
Author(s) -
de la Torre María C.,
Sierra Miguel A.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.200200545
Subject(s) - biogenesis , natural product , biomimetic synthesis , natural (archaeology) , chemistry , biochemical engineering , biology , biochemistry , engineering , paleontology , gene
Abstract The appealing beauty of the routes that Nature uses to build natural products is breathtaking and the quest for laboratory syntheses that mimic these routes is longstanding. Since Robert Robinson introduced the concept of biomimetic synthesis in 1917, debates have been conducted about the participation of specific enzymes in every step of the biogenesis of every class of natural product. The successful synthesis of many natural products often follows routes analogous to processes that occur in the living cell with minimum enzyme participation. It should not be concluded, however, that we are only able to imitate biogenetic processes in which enzymes are not involved. Perhaps the most appealing facet of a biomimetic strategy is that it pursues the development of synthetic methodology inspired by biogenesis, even if the mimicked biogenetic route is only hypothetical. Improved biogenetic syntheses could be brought about by artificial enzymes that catalyze specific transformations.