Editorial pubs.acs.org/CR
Downloaded by 218.61.46.167 on September 9, 2015 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date (Web): September 9, 2015 | doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00464
Introduction: Frontiers in Organic Synthesis Biography
The collection of articles in this issue of Chemical Reviews is a snapshot of some current, exciting directions in the field of synthetic chemistry while at the same time highlighting fresh challenges as well as opportunities for discovery and innovation. The debate over the health and long-term relevance of the science of synthesis has become a mantra of sorts, one that is far from original and reminiscent of Twain’s comment on learning news of his own death. Organic synthesis persists as it must and should because of its central role as the engine for understanding structure and reactivity. In addition, the utilitarian component of synthesis continues to enable access to countless new substances with which, paraphrasing Woodward, we are clothed, ornamented, protected, and propelled in, on, or by, and which comfort as well as maintain us, creating unparalleled opportunities in response to human needs, desires, and fancy. The topics covered in this issue are only a sampling of ongoing activities in the field, and their selection reflects that the line of inquiry continues to renew itself and remains vibrant. These include reaction-based themes, such as C−H and C−C activation, fluorination, as well as cycloadditions, and topics in catalysis and stereoselective synthesis. Additionally, the collection highlights the coming of age of computational methods as a broad based tool that preparative chemists can use to gain deep-seated insight into the most complex of reaction mechanisms. This serves the dual purpose of advancing the fundamental underpinnings of reactivity, while at the same time enabling tactics for future design and serendipity. The collection underscores the importance of synthetic methodology in advancing discovery, study, and development of organic chemistry. Indeed, the field would be very different, proceeding at a glacial pace, if it were not for leaps and bounds made possible by new methodologies. Innovative methods are inherently disruptive, as they enable rethinking at the level of strategic considerations in the context of a multistep synthesis. Accordingly, the collection in this thematic issue of Chemical Reviews also includes a selection of articles describing advances in target-oriented synthesis, highlighting how the evolution of the discipline is coupled to applications in complex settings. This thematic issue of Chemical Reviews highlights refreshing new ways of thinking about synthesis. In doing so, it underscores its relevance and vibrant future. Indeed, Darwin’s closing lines from On the Origin of Species are also applicable to synthesis: “There is grandeur in this view of life...from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.”
Erick M. Carreira obtained a B.S. degree in 1984 from the University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign under the supervision of Scott E. Denmark and a Ph.D. degree in 1990 from Harvard University under the supervision of David A. Evans. After carrying out postdoctoral work with Peter Dervan at the California Institute of Technology through late 1992, he joined the faculty at the same institution as an assistant professor of chemistry and subsequently was promoted to the rank of associate professor of chemistry in the Spring of 1996, and full professor in the Spring of 1997. Since September 1998, he has been professor of chemistry at the ETH Zürich in the Institute of Organic Chemistry. Since 2011, he has also been a Member of the Competence Center for Systems Physiology and Metabolic Diseases at ETH-Zürich. He is the recipient of numerous awards, most recently, the European Research Commission Award; the ACS Award for Creative Work in Synthetic Organic Chemistry; A. Cruishank Lecturer, Gordon Research Conferences; DSM Science and Technology Award; Tetrahedron Chair; Tetrahedron Young Investigator Award; Thieme Prize; Springer Award; American Chemical Society Award in Pure Chemistry; Nobel Laureate Signature Award; the Tischler Award of Harvard University; and Gassman Lectureship. Professor Carreira has authored over 270 publications and 30 patents. He has mentored in his laboratory 80 undergraduates, 65 doctoral students, and 75 postdoctoral associates. He is an associate editor with Organic Letters, Thieme Verlag (Synfacts and Synthesis), and Organic Synthesis. Together with colleagues at ETH Zurich, he has cofounded three companies: Lipideon, SpiroChem, and Glycemicon. He is a consultant for companies in North America, Europe, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Asia, and Africa.
E. M. Carreira ETH Zürich
AUTHOR INFORMATION Notes Special Issue: 2015 Frontiers in Organic Synthesis
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS. © 2015 American Chemical Society
Published: September 9, 2015 8945
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00464 Chem. Rev. 2015, 115, 8945−8945
