World Catalyst Market Series----Five of the 8 Catalysts That Are Changing the World: Chiral Selective Catalysts
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This post was last edited by The wise on 2024-3-9 at 16:17. Catalysts play a very important role in the advancement of human civilization and the development of the world economy; every major breakthrough in this field has significantly transformed the ways in which humans produce and live. The emergence of each catalyst has given rise to a new industry; today we introduce the fifth of the eight catalysts that have changed the world since the Industrial Revolution: chiral selective catalysts. For more information, please visit: World Catalyst Market Series https://bbs.hcbbs.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=5512570
Chirally selective catalysts: The main application area of chirally selective catalysts is in drug molecules. Generally, the same molecule contains two isomers that are mirror images of each other; one of them has a pharmacological effect, while the other does not. However, in conventional chemical processes, both isomers are produced simultaneously, and the pharmacologically active one may have an extremely low yield. The role of the catalyst is to increase the yield. The most representative catalytic process is the synthesis of levodopa for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. In 1974, the American company Monsanto developed a catalyst with high selectivity, capable of selectively catalyzing the formation of levodopa in synthetic reactions, resulting in a product that contained almost no dopa. This achievement made levodopa the preferred drug for treating Parkinson’s disease. This example of innovation can be considered a classic case of the selectivity of catalysts in chemical production. William Nolts, who was working at Monsanto at that time and made significant contributions to this synthetic reaction, eventually received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2001 for this research.