Streamlined synthesis of quinine showcases sustainable organic strategy

A streamlined synthesis of the antimalarial (–)-quinine by researchers in Japan has showcased ‘pot economy’ as a sustainable organic strategy for chemical production. The team achieved the 18-step total synthesis in a five-reaction sequence, both reducing waste and saving time in their carefully designed process.

Quinine, an alkaloid extracted from the bark of the cinchona tree, is an important antimalarial and has been used to treat the disease for over 400 years. However, the complex chiral structure also makes quinine valuable to organic chemists, both as a chiral ligand and an asymmetric organocatalyst. Over the last 100 years, many different researchers have completed stepwise total syntheses of this challenging target, but the corresponding low yields have meant that synthesis has never replaced natural extraction.