Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2022

Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2022

• The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2022 has been given to Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal, and K. Barry Sharpless "for the creation of Click Chemistry and Bioorthogonal Chemistry."

• Sharpless (who won a second time) developed the term "click chemistry" and put a lot of effort into it.
• Independent of Sharpless, Meldal developed a unique chemical structure called a "triazole," which has a wide range of important uses.
• Bertozzi then advanced by creating "bioorthogonal" click reactions, which could function inside living creatures (a term she coined).
• Benjamin List and David MacMillan received the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on asymmetric organocatalysis.

What have Nobel Prize winners done for click chemistry?

Idea (Invented by Sharpless):

• In a simple form of chemistry known as "Click Chemistry," molecular building blocks can come together easily and swiftly. It is a type of straightforward chemistry that is trustworthy, where reactions happen rapidly and undesirable byproducts are avoided.
• Barry Sharpless developed the idea of "click chemistry" around the year 2000. He discovered that it is simpler to link smaller molecules with entire carbon frameworks than it is to force carbon atoms, the building blocks of organic matter, to bond with one another.
• The key concept is to select straightforward reactions between molecules that have a "stronger intrinsic motivation" to bond together, leading to a quicker and less wasteful process.
• Meaning: Chemists frequently attempt to replicate the intricate chemical molecules seen in nature, and this has implications for the field of medicine, including how to identify and neutralise pathogens in cells. But this procedure could be difficult and drawn out.
• Although the reliable way of creating molecules known as click chemistry cannot produce precise replicas of natural molecules, it will be possible to find molecules that perform the same activities.

(Meldal and Sharpless) Azide - Alkyne Cycloaddition

• The copper catalysed azide-alkyne cycloaddition was the crowning achievement of click chemistry in the 2000s, and it was produced independently by Meldal and Sharpless.
• A triazole, a stable ring-shaped chemical structure that is a popular building block in medicines, dyes, and agricultural compounds, was discovered by Meldal to be produced when copper ions were added to a reaction between an alkyne and an acyl halide. By including copper ions, the reaction may be controlled to produce only one chemical.
• The triazole was created by combining the azide with the alkyne. Azide is an organic molecule with a N3 (Nitride Ion) ion, whereas an alkyne is a hydrocarbon with at least one triple bond in the carbon atom.
• Today, the discovery of pharmaceuticals, the mapping of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), and the production of materials that are more suited for their intended use are only a few applications for this straightforward and efficient chemical reaction.

(Bertozzi) Bioorthogonal Reactions

• These processes take place inside living things without interfering with the cell's regular chemistry.
• Further advancements in a variety of biomedical fields, including molecular bioimaging, targeted delivery, in situ drug activation, research on cell-nanomaterial interactions, biosensing, etc., may result from its application in conjunction with nanotechnology.
• Researchers have enhanced the targeting of cancer drugs by using bioorthogonal processes.
• The origin of Bertozzi's Cancer Fighting Click Chemistry?

Finding Glycans

• In order to make glycans more visible, Carolyn R. Bertozzi intended to attach fluorescent molecules to them. Glycans are a difficult-to-find form of carbohydrate present on the surface of cells that are essential to the immune system.
• The same azide that Meldal and Sharpless both employed was chosen by Bertozzi. The azide is safe to introduce in living things and avoids reacting with other cell components.
• She created a different click chemistry process in 2004 that operated without poisonous copper and was secure for use in live cells.
• The work of Bertozzi is being used to discover glycans on the surface of tumour cells and to disarm their defence systems that render immune cells ineffective.
• Clinical trials for this treatment are now being conducted on patients with advanced cancer. Additionally, scientists have started creating "clickable antibodies" that can be used to track tumours and precisely administer radiation dosages to cancer cells.

Read Also: Nobel Prize 2022 in Medicine/Physiology