BRSM
BRSM obtained his PhD in total synthesis in the UK, completing several brightly coloured natural products. After a postdoctoral stint at an Ivy League school, he remained in the US, where he now works as a process chemist at a major pharmaceutical company.
Opinion(±)-Rhabdastrellic acid A
A triterpene that looks innocuous until it reveals the highly strained conformation of its rings
Opinion(+)-Microladallene B
A weird structure is enough to spark chemists’ interest, even without any obvious use
Opinion(‒)-Pavidolide B
An innovative approach to making five-membered carbon rings makes for a strikingly short synthesis
Opinion(+)-Pleuromutilin
Total synthesis is sometimes the only way to explore the chemical space around a natural product
Opinion(+)-Zincophorin methyl ester
New and old reactions combine for an elegant and concise synthesis