Semisynthesis

<p>Semisynthesis, or partial chemical synthesis, is a type of <a href="/facts/Chemical_synthesis/3KXsVVwC">chemical synthesis</a> that uses <a href="/facts/Chemical_compound/37FXqqtv">chemical compounds</a> isolated from <a href="/facts/Natural_source/J4RsVhmP">natural sources</a> (such as <a href="/facts/Microbiology/k7udsq81">microbial</a> cell cultures or <a href="/facts/Plant/X5BMDMvS">plant</a> material) as the starting materials to produce novel compounds with distinct chemical and medicinal properties. The novel compounds generally have a high <a href="/facts/Molecular_weight/FWueGMed">molecular weight</a> or a complex molecular structure, more so than those produced by <a href="/facts/Total_synthesis/3GGoqhBm">total synthesis</a> from simple starting materials. Semisynthesis is a means of preparing many medicines more cheaply than by total synthesis since fewer chemical steps are necessary.
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<p>Drugs derived from natural sources are commonly produced either by isolation from their natural source or, as described here, through semisynthesis of an isolated agent. From the perspective of <a href="/facts/Chemical_synthesis/3KXsVVwC">chemical synthesis</a>, <a href="/facts/Living_organisms/j8JkL09u">living organisms</a> act as highly efficient chemical factories, capable of producing structurally complex compounds through <a href="/facts/Biosynthesis/aFk7Tk7f">biosynthesis</a>. In contrast, engineered chemical synthesis, although powerful, tends to be simpler and less chemically diverse than the complex biosynthetic pathways essential to life.
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Semisynthesis open-in-new

Semisynthesis