Because it's there

We read with interest peter mr’s comments on an interesting proposal by Totally Retrosynthetic. The idea is to set up what is effectively a distributed synthetic project in a form (e.g. wiki) that enables collaboration by a large group of folk, each of whom can bring something special to the project. Peter mr describes the proposal as subversive but we think it is not nearly subversive enough.

We believe this idea could be taken well beyond natural product synthesis and readers of this column will be aware that we recently questioned why people squander resources synthesising what nature can already do quite nicely. We are keen to see more unnatural product synthesis which demands creative input into defining the synthetic target as well as the synthetic route. Needless to say, distributed molecular design in an open environment may discomfort a few pharmaceutical companies which in the grand scheme of things would be A Good Thing. However vendors of screening samples may take a rather more enlightened view of these subversive activities.

In his blog, peter mr likened synthetic chemistry to competitive sport. Despite the usual cures for cancer, impotence, wrinkles and baldness that the synthesis of the target natural product will surely lead to, we all know the real reason why people synthesize natural products. So they’re not prepared to die for their sport like the doomed and heroic Mallory, but hopefully you get the idea. Why is that way with natural product synthesis? Beacause, as Henry Kissinger might have put it, there’s so little at stake.