Click Chemistry

Click chemistry was first fully described by K. Barry Sharpless of The Scripps Research Institute in 2001 and describes chemistry tailored to generate substances quickly and reliably by joining small units together. Click chemistry is not a single specific reaction, but was meant to mimic nature, which also generates substances by joining small modular units.

A desirable Click chemistry reaction would:

• be modular
• be wide in scope
• give very high chemical yields
• generate only inoffensive byproducts
• be stereospecific
• be physiologically stable
• exhibit a large thermodynamic driving force (> 84 kJ/mol) to favor a reaction with a single reaction product. A distinct exothermic reaction makes a reactant "spring-loaded".
• have high atom economy.

The process would preferably:

• have simple reaction conditions
• use readily available starting materials and reagents
• use no solvent or use a solvent that is benign or easily removed (preferably water)
• provide simple product isolation by non-chromatographic methods (crystallisation or distillation)