Synthon

In retrosynthetic analysis, a synthon is a destructural unit within a molecule which is related to a possible synthetic operation. The term was coined in 1968 by E.J. Corey. He noted in 1988 that the "word synthon has now come to be used to mean synthetic building block rather than retrosynthetic fragmentation structures". It was noted in 1998 that the phrase did not feature very prominently in Corey's 1981 book, The Logic of Chemical Synthesis, as it was not included in the index.

Example

In planning the synthesis of phenylacetic acid, two synthons are identified: a nucleophilic "-COOH" group, and an electrophilic "PhCH₂⁺" group. Of course, both synthons do not exist per se; synthetic equivalents corresponding to the synthons are reacted to produce the desired reactant. In this case, the cyanide anion is the synthetic equivalent for the ⁻COOH synthon, while benzyl bromide is the synthetic equivalent for the benzyl synthon.

The synthesis of phenylacetic acid determined by retrosynthetic analysis is thus:

Synthon (company)

Synthon is a Dutch multinational that produces generic human drugs.

The company was founded in 1991 by two organic chemists of the Radboud University Nijmegen. Synthon is active in the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Spain, the United States, Argentina, Chile and Australia with about 1250 employees. The company is headquartered in Nijmegen.

Medications made by Synthon include:

The products are marketed by partners of the company. The name Synthon is not mentioned on the packaging.

In 2008 the company started developing biopharmaceuticals. In May 2012 Synthon announced that it bought the Biolex LEX System for manufacturing biopharmaceuticals in Lemna. The sale also included two preclinical biologics made with the LEX System, BLX-301, a humanized and glyco-optimized anti-CD20 antibody for non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma and other B-cell malignancies and BLX-155, a direct-acting thrombolytic. The financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.