Elias James Corey quotes

Elias James Corey is an American organic chemist renowned for his pioneering work in synthetic organic chemistry. His development of retrosynthetic analysis transformed the field and enabled the efficient synthesis of complex molecules. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his groundbreaking contributions. Here are 2 of his quotes:

Part of the charm of synthetic organic chemistry derives from the vastness of the intellectual landscape along several dimensions. First, there is the almost infinite variety and number of possible target structures that lurk in the darkness waiting to be made. Then, there is the vast body of organic reactions that serve to transform one substance into another, now so large in number as to be beyond credibility to a non-chemist. There is the staggering range of reagents, reaction conditions, catalysts, elements, and techniques that must be mobilized in order to tame these reactions for synthetic purposes. Finally, it seems that new information is being added to that landscape at a rate that exceeds the ability of a normal person to keep up with it. In such a troubled setting any author, or group of authors, must be regarded as heroic if through their efforts, the task of the synthetic chemist is eased.

Elias James Corey