An Invitation to Organic Synthetic Chemistry: Experiments Make the Impossible Possible

My specialty is organic synthetic chemistry, the study of chemically synthesizing various organic compounds. Chemical reactions are absolutely essential to achieve this goal. Chemical reaction equations appear in junior high school science textbooks, and I believe you begin to learn them in earnest in high school. Some of you may have studied the synthesis of phenol from benzene, wondering what use it could be. However, try reading a little further in your textbook. From phenol, salicylic acid can be obtained through the Kolbe-Schmitt reaction, and a subsequent acetylation reaction can synthesize acetylsalicylic acid, known as aspirin. Aspirin has been used for many years worldwide as an antipyretic and analgesic. In this way, organic synthetic chemistry can synthesize pharmaceuticals. And it's not just pharmaceuticals. Since William Perkin discovered the synthetic dye mauve in 1856, humanity has used the power of organic synthetic chemistry to synthesize everything from dyes and fragrances to materials for liquid crystals.

Since being assigned to a laboratory in my fourth year of undergraduate studies, my main research theme within organic synthetic chemistry has been the "synthesis of natural products." Many of you might be thinking, "Huh?" A common question I get is, "Why go to the trouble of making something that already exists in nature?" As I explained earlier, organic synthetic chemistry plays a role as the science of creating artificial substances, and humanity has synthesized a virtually limitless number of organic compounds. So why natural products? The answer is because "nature surpasses human wisdom." Even now, substances with structures never seen before and those with very interesting biological activities are being discovered in nature. Since our targets surpass human wisdom, we cannot tackle them with conventional methods. The development of new synthetic methods and strategies is essential. That is why in our laboratory, we conduct experiments on chemical reactions every day, stepping into an unknown world. The experiments themselves are a lot of fun. We don't just heat flasks in an oil bath (Figure 1); we also concentrate organic solvents with an evaporator (Figure 2), separate compounds using silica gel column chromatography (Figure 3), and sometimes conduct chemical reactions by irradiating them with red or blue light from LED lamps (Figure 4). Experiments with chemical reactions often fail (not explosions, but failing to produce the target compound!), which makes the joy of success all the greater. These experiments may lead to the discovery of novel synthetic methods or the creation of compounds with functions that surpass those found in nature. It is truly a case of "experiments make the impossible possible." We are dedicated to our research every day so that we can contribute, even in a small way, to the advancement of chemistry.