TY - JOUR

T1 - Organic Synthesis – Art or Science?

AU - Rücker, Christoph

AU - Rücker, Gerta

AU - Bertz, Steven H.

PY - 2004/5/3

Y1 - 2004/5/3

N2 - The LHASA rules for finding strategic bonds in polycyclic target structures are analyzed with respect to the following question: Do the strategic bonds tend to give the greatest simplification upon disconnection, as measured by recently introduced indices of molecular complexity? The answer is yes, at least for the more general rules. This result implies that the bonds most useful for retrosynthetic disconnection can now be identified by a simple calculation rather than by application of a body of rules. It is concluded that organic synthesis, as far as described by these rules, has a mathematical basis and consequently can be considered a science as well as an art.

AB - The LHASA rules for finding strategic bonds in polycyclic target structures are analyzed with respect to the following question: Do the strategic bonds tend to give the greatest simplification upon disconnection, as measured by recently introduced indices of molecular complexity? The answer is yes, at least for the more general rules. This result implies that the bonds most useful for retrosynthetic disconnection can now be identified by a simple calculation rather than by application of a body of rules. It is concluded that organic synthesis, as far as described by these rules, has a mathematical basis and consequently can be considered a science as well as an art.

KW - Chemistry

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=1842689998&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/c80a89ed-8046-3480-a304-c15ac285e6b8/

U2 - 10.1021/ci030415e

DO - 10.1021/ci030415e

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 15032515

VL - 44

SP - 378

EP - 386

JO - Journal of Chemical Information and Computer Sciences

JF - Journal of Chemical Information and Computer Sciences

SN - 0095-2338

IS - 2

ER -