[davidenarb]

Hi All,

As I, an undergraduate student majoring in Chemistry, am a big fan of Organic Chemistry, I would like to know How is the world of research in Organic Chemistry.

There is something in particular that makes me somewhat anxious. Although I love orgo, I hate biochemistry and biology. That is, I love the study of synthesis of compounds, reaction mechanisms. I Have been told, in fact, that in organic research, there is a high emphasis on biology, and biochemistry, and this is why I am worried. Do I have a wrong perspective of Organic Chemistry?

Thank you for clarifying to me.

[kriggy]

Hi there.
Im having same throuble, realy like orgo but dont like biochem that much. I think there is high emphasis on those subjects, but I think you can find a way where the biochem knowledge is not that important. It might be material research for example, it might be total synthesis of compounds isolated form nature or work at chemical company making generics.

[Dan]

It's very easy to stay detached from the biological sciences in organic chemistry if you want to. My postgraduate research had very close ties to glycobiology, but my postdoctoral work (methodology - mainly transition metal catalysis) has very little biological overlap. I actually find it frustrating at times because I like biochemistry, but my point is an interest it in the biological sciences is definitely not a requirement for a career in organic chemistry.

[davidenarb]

Thank you Dan I think your post is saving my life as well as kriggy's life
I can, now, study with more motivation!

[kriggy]

Haha
I dont mind working on some bio stuff. Did that for my thesis and its not that difficult. The only problem with biochem I have is that studing it for exams is for me very difficult because I feel I have to memorize all the stuff..

[orgopete]

My industrial career was in ag chem, so I suppose I was into biology, biochem, or something like that. Because I am old at this point, I can look back and realize the evolution that has been occurring. The biosciences are really becoming chemistry sciences. You can look at the departments in universities and note this trend.

In the lab, I never thought of the biological applications as anything other than chemistry. What are the interactions that mimic a (often imagined) transition state or why should it reduce the energy of a transition state? How could we introduce a metabolizable group to change selectivity? How or where can we introduce a group to change the lipophilicity, yet not interfere with receptor affinity? I became convinced that screening compounds wasn't actually screening compounds as much as screening activation energies of reactions (provided the reaction pathway was critical). I didn't think it made sense to chose a target that had a low activation energy as the enzyme would not reduce it by much, hence a weak affinity for the transition state. That is the modus operandii of enzyme inhibitors suggested by Pauling.

That summarizes my career in the biosciences. I loved it and never thought of it as biology, but as chemistry with a biological application.