Organic Synthesis and the Life Sciences

Abstract

The endeavour of the second panel, composed of Hans Bestmann, Albert Eschenmoser, Clayton Heathcock, Claude Hé1ène, and Don Hilvert was to analyze critically, with the help of the workshop participants, the relationship between organic synthesis and the life sciences. In the guidelines which were distributed, I refrained from including the topics of self-assembly and supramolecular chemistry since these comprised the subject of the third panel discussion. To proceed, I gave a brief introduction, asked for comments from the members of the panel and then invited discussion of the points indicated in the guidelines which, incidentally, as admitted by our co-organizers, had been prepared in full recognition that they may also find use as paper airplanes down the cliffs of Ravello. What follows is an attempt to provide an overview of the major points of the lively discussion which occurred, typical of all the panel discussions. The comments are taken from tape recordings but have been extensively edited and condensed for the purpose of a coherent presentation.