Tag: bioorthogonal chemistry

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Biochemistry Nobel Prizes

The 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Clicking together molecules to make new medicines and investigate biological molecules

Infographic on the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, awarded jointly to Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless for their development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry. Click chemistry refers to reactions which efficiently snap together small molecules with simple reaction conditions and no unwanted byproducts. Bioorthogonal chemistry involves chemical reactions which happen in cells without affecting their normal chemistry. The graphic shows a classic example of a click chemistry reaction involving the cycloaddition of an azide and an alkyne using a copper catalyst, and also how this was adapted for use in living organisms by removing the copper catalyst and replacing the alkyne with a cycloalkyne.

The 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded jointly to Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless for their development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry.