Chemists unlock potential of ketone and ester molecules, paving way for greener and more efficient drug development

Scientists have long considered ketones (a fundamental chemical class) and esters (molecules formed when an acid reacts with an alcohol) to be locked treasure chests of possibilities. Ubiquitous as pharmaceutical intermediates, ketones and esters are widely used for the synthesis of drug molecules. Yet both share a critical limitation: Generally, only two specific sites within their structure—the carbonyl carbon and the alpha position—are easily accessible to conventional chemical reactions.