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Elias James Corey
born 1928 · United States · 20th century
Nobel Chemistry 1990
American chemist who turned organic synthesis into a logical science, inventing retrosynthetic analysis and completing dozens of landmark total syntheses.
Nobel Prize work
Prized for developing the theory and methodology of organic synthesis. His retrosynthetic analysis plans a target molecule by systematically disconnecting it toward simple starting materials, a logic he taught chemists — and computers — to apply. With new reagents and methods, he completed syntheses of prostaglandins, ginkgolide and many other complex natural products.
Fields
Related topics
Retrosynthetic analysis
Retrosynthesis plans a synthesis backward from a target by identifying strategic bond disconnections and mapping the resulting synthons to real reagents.
Total synthesis
Total synthesis constructs a complex natural or designed molecule from simple, defined starting materials, integrating route design, selectivity, mechanism, and practical execution.