Synthetic route is to plan and execute the step‑by‑step construction of molecules. It highlights the strategic decisions that shape how efficiently, safely, and sustainably a compound can be made — from early discovery through scale‑up.
1. Strategic Route Planning.How to map out the overall pathway from simple starting materials to the final drug candidate by:
Choosing the most efficient sequence of reactions
Identifying strategic bond‑forming steps
Balancing complexity, cost, and feasibility
2. Retrosynthetic Analysis
Working backward from the target molecule.
Selecting disconnections that lead to known, reliable chemistry
Breaking it into simpler, more accessible fragments
3. Building Blocks & Key Intermediates
Use of readily available commercial building blocks
Modular fragments that enable rapid analog generation
Strategic intermediates that streamline SAR campaigns
4. Reaction Selection & Optimization
Choosing reactions with good yield, selectivity, and scalability
Avoiding hazardous or low‑efficiency steps
Using catalytic, mild, or green alternatives when possible
5. Protecting Group Strategies
The knowledge of when and why protecting groups are needed
How to minimize their use to improve step economy
Strategies for orthogonal protection
6. Linear vs Convergent Synthesis
Linear routes build the molecule step by step
Convergent routes assemble large fragments separately, then combine them