U.S. scientists further simplify method to make important precursor molecules

Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-06 03:45:34|Editor: yan
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HOUSTON, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Scientists at Rice University in Houston have simplified the approach to synthesize a highly versatile family of precursors en route to biologically active compounds.

According to a news release published on Wednesday by the university, the method should make drug design and development cheaper and more environmentally friendly.

Synthetic chemist Laszlo Kurti and postdoctoral researchers Zhiwei Ma and Zhe Zhou reported their synthesis of unprotected aziridine molecules, key building blocks in synthetic chemistry. The lab's primary focus is to cut the number of steps it takes to synthesize nitrogen-containing chemical compounds.

One way to do so is to simplify the synthesis of precursor molecules that can then be easily modified into products.

Their work appears in the Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

Rice University, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Robert A. Welch Foundation supported the research.

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