The evolution of chemistry through synthesis (and of Synthesis in Chemistry)

Other than during the last, say, two centuries, the synthesis/production of new molecules has taken place nearly exclusively in the domain of biology. Human intervention now complements natural evolution as a means for creating novel substances. Synthetic chemists have used higher order skills to push the limits both of what we make as well as of how we construct molecular entities. In this chapter we offer some perspective on the evolution of synthetic organic chemistry. Enabling technologies and intellectual developments are presented, and the synthesis of natural products is used as a template to demonstrate the growth of the field.