Best of Nature

Chemistry
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- Total synthesis of taxol
  - K. C. Nicolaou, Z. Yang, J. J. Liu, H. Ueno, P. G. Nantermet, R. K. Guy, C. F. Claiborne, J. Renaud, E. A. Couladouros, K. Paulvannan, E. J. Sorensen,
  - Original article citation: Nature 367, (1994).
  - Categories: Chemistry
  - Recommended by: Andrew Mitchinson on 10/10/2007 08:22AM GMT
  - Reasons for recommending:
    This paper is one of the all-time classics of chemistry. The synthesis of Taxol, an anti-cancer drug, stretched the limits of organic chemistry and is still regarded as a monummental achievement 13 years on. Enormous skill is required to make molecules of this complexity, especially in the later stages of the synthesis, when only tiny quantities of material would have been available. This paper inspired a generation of organic chemists - what else can I say?

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