Bio-inspired total synthesis of natural products Concepts

Taking inspiration from nature... For organic chemists who are passionate about the "art of total synthesis", bio-inspired or biomimetic strategies are an original – and often effective – way of approaching retrosynthesis (i.e. the logical approach invented by chemists to design a synthetic route).

The notion of "natural substance" is made explicit in order to evoke their biosynthetic pathways, i.e. the enzymatic machinery at work in cells to assemble these molecules. Indeed, the biosynthetic pathways (known or postulated) of the sometimes incredibly complex molecules produced by living beings form the basis of the concept and serve as a source of inspiration for the chemist. Nature offers a limited panel of "good reactions" (often known for their robustness), which it is sometimes possible to mimic in the laboratory under abiotic conditions (without the use of enzymes). The main reaction intermediates are found in reactions used in biochemistry (carbocations, carbanions, free radicals, for example), as well as in so-called pericyclic reactions. The aim of this article is to provide fundamental concepts and a general framework for designing a bio-inspired strategy for the total synthesis of complex molecules. The strategy will be applicable in fine chemistry in a research and development context, for example, of molecules with biological activity (natural substances frequently having powerful biological activities). The article [PHA 2 006] discusses examples of successful applications of such strategies and opens up further perspectives.

A glossary of terms is provided at the end of the article.