What God Can Do, Chemists Can Do Too

As it was nearing the end of the workday, Shen Qi saw the experimental report from He Lin's research group.

Chemistry is an experimental science; even the greatest ideas need to be verified through experiments.

In a reaction with a seven-membered cyclic transition state, the [3,3]σ migration forms a reaction that synthesizes Macrocyclic Compounds. This is a ring-opening method and can be considered a new rearrangement reaction.

The new rearrangement reaction led to the formation of a new compound. Cao Fan believed that the target compound with the abnormal structure was consistent with Shen Qi's original speculation.

Throughout the history of Organic Chemistry, new synthetic methods have confirmed some theories, led to the revision or even overturning of others, and created new compounds that had never existed before.

Some of these new compounds already had some practical use, while others had no known use at the time, but were created by chemists simply because of their novel structures.

Anemonia Toxin is an unstable compound isolated from sea anemones by chemist Moore in 1971. Its molecular formula is a startlingly high C129H223N3O54, and its toxicity is more than 10 times that of Tetrodotoxin. In 1982, Moore published the stereostructure of the compound, and in 1989, Professor Yoshito Kishi of Harvard University announced the successful synthesis of the compound.

C129H223N3O54 is the largest naturally occurring molecule known to have been chemically synthesized to date. Chemists synthesized it before the 1990s, but at that time they were not clear about the specific environments in which it should be used.

In the 21st century, C129H223N3O54 finally demonstrated its value, and the idea that "what God can do, chemists can do too" spread widely in the international chemistry community. Professor Yoshito Kishi became one of the world's most outstanding chemists.

Whether God can save his wife is unclear.

So Shen Qi took it upon himself to do it.

A new drug is necessarily a new compound. New compounds can be synthesized using known synthetic methods, or entirely new synthetic methods.

"This is a seven-membered ring compound, class..." Shen Qi left his office and headed to the Chemistry Laboratory.

Inside the laboratory, He Lin was teaching Cao Fan Director Shen's "Eighteen Pages Heart Sutra".

Not long ago, Shen Qi sent He Lin an email, the attachment of which contained Shen Qi's insights on organic synthesis, totaling eighteen pages.

Based on the "Eighteen Pages Heart Sutra," He Lin designed a new experiment, and today she obtained the results.

"I knew it! This rearrangement reaction seemed ambiguous, like a Cope rearrangement but not quite. So it's a rearrangement reaction newly invented by Director Shen!" Cao Fan suddenly realized. He was very excited, having unknowingly completed a new reaction. "According to international convention, this rearrangement reaction should be named the Shen Qi Rearrangement."

"That's a matter for international chemical organizations; it's none of our business," He Lin said. "Director Shen's rearrangement reaction is just a tool, not the ultimate goal. What he really wants is one or a series of representative, stable eight- or even nine-membered ring compounds. These new Macrocyclic Compounds can support a new theory, and the new drugs produced can effectively treat rare diseases that plague patients."

"A magnificent concept!" After a two-month internship, Cao Fan finally understood the core secret of the LPJK1 project: "So this Seven-membered heterocyclic compound is just an intermediate product?"

He Lin nodded and said, "This is a very meaningful intermediate product. Next, we will conduct more in-depth experimental analysis on its stability."

Six-membered heterocycles widely used in drug synthesis include pyridine, pyrazine, pyrimidine, and pyridazine. They have hexagonal planar structures and are stable.

Also stable are pentagonal hybrids, including furan, thiophene, pyrrole, thiazole, and imidazole, whose planar structures are pentagonal.

The planar structure of Seven-membered heterocyclic compound is heptagonal, and its stability is not as good as that of five-membered and six-membered rings.

In the ever-changing world of chemistry, there are of course triangular three-membered heterocycles, such as ethylene oxide, and square four-membered heterocycles, such as β-propiolactone.

Considering cost, availability, and stability, five-membered hybrids and six-membered heterocycles offer the best cost-performance ratio.

According to drug naming conventions, we often see various commercial drugs on the market with names containing words such as pyridine, pyrazine, pyrimidine, pyridazine, furan, thiophene, pyrrole, thiazole, and imidazole. The main active components of these drugs come from the five-membered hybrids and six-membered heterocycles in their chemical structures.

Why didn't Shen Qi follow the conventional path and focus on pentagonal hybrids and hexacyclic hybrids?

Based on his calculations and analysis, he believed that larger rings with seven or more elements were more suitable for the specific project he was working on.

What is the basis for the calculation and analysis?

It's mathematics.

As shown in the table above, very few reactions of Macrocyclic Compounds with seven or more members have been developed, and the supporting theoretical system is still incomplete.

This led to Shen Qi's invention of the rearrangement reaction.

"He Lin is right. Next, we need to conduct stability tests on this seven-membered compound." Shen Qi's voice rang out behind He Lin and Cao Fan.

"Director Shen!" He Lin and Cao Fan only then noticed Shen Qi, who had quietly come up behind them.

"I just finished reading your group's latest lab report. It's very well done, thank you for your hard work. Your group can go home now, let's go eat, it's on me." Shen Qi didn't hold back his praise; for subordinates who had completed their tasks, verbal and other forms of encouragement were certainly appropriate.

The four members of He Lin's research group happily followed Shen Qi to a restaurant outside. As the weather gradually became hot, they each ate several pounds of lobster and abalone to soothe their stomachs.

At the dinner, Shen Qi shared his thoughts on the LPJK1 project: "Our first task is stability testing to ensure the stability of rearrangement reactions, heptagonal compounds, and subsequent octagonal, nonamenable, or higher-order compounds. Only after ensuring compound stability can we proceed with pharmacokinetic analysis, efficacy, and safety studies—these are the tasks for animal experiments and clinical trials. The LPJK1 project is divided into several research groups, the most important of which is your Receptor Stasis Agent group. If the Receptor Stasis Agent group successfully completes its research, then LPJK1 will be more than halfway done. So keep up the good work; I will fight alongside you."

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

Shen Qi raised his glass. "I can't hold my liquor, and I haven't had a drink in a long time. It's been a lot of fun having everyone gathered here today, so I'll drink this, you can drink as you like."

Shen Qi acted immediately, downing a glass of baijiu in an instant.

If the boss drinks it all in one gulp, how can the subordinates keep goldfish?

Amidst the clinking of glasses and lively conversation, team cohesion was further enhanced.

Each person drank a bottle of 52-proof baijiu. Shen Qi, who couldn't hold his liquor, became more and more sober as he drank, while his four subordinates, with flushed faces, spoke their true feelings after drinking.