New Discoveries in Organic Synthesis Inspired by the Efficiency of Nature

自然界可以很容易地从简单的原料组装复杂的有机分子，但这些天然产物的实验室合成是非常困难的。该项目旨在模仿大自然构建有机化合物的方式，从而开发更高效、更环保的合成过程，通过“仿生”反应快速建立分子复杂性。我们将把这种方法与现代催化方法结合起来，包括电化学、光化学和生物催化。因此，这项工作将扩大在制药工业工作的合成化学家可用的化学空间。另一个好处是培训下一代澳大利亚合成化学家。

Nature can assemble complex organic molecules from simple starting materials with apparent ease, but the laboratory synthesis of these natural products is very difficult. This project aims to mimic the way in which Nature constructs organic compounds and thus develop more efficient, greener synthetic processes in which there is a rapid build up of molecular complexity via “biomimetic” reactions. We will integrate this approach with modern methods of catalysis, including electrochemistry, photochemistry and biocatalysis. As a result, this work will expand the chemical space available to synthetic chemists working in the pharmaceutical industry. A further benefit is the training of the next generation of Australian synthetic chemists.