retrosynthetic analysis

Retrosynthetic analysis is a method used in organic chemistry to plan the synthesis of complex molecules. Instead of building a molecule from simple starting materials, this approach works backward from the target molecule. Chemists identify a simpler precursor that could be transformed into the target molecule through a known reaction. This process is repeated, breaking down the molecule into progressively simpler components until readily available starting materials are reached. This strategy, developed by Elias James Corey, has been greatly assisted by computer software and has revolutionized the field of synthetic organic chemistry.123