On the other hand, Bi-orthogonal chemistry can change how learning about organisms occurs in the world. These three people have laid the foundation for a very new route to be taken by chemistry studied globally. Now, let\u2019s get into understanding how their contributions are so significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Is Click Chemistry? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As the name suggests, click chemistry<\/a> has the same function. In the year 2002-03, K. Barry Sharpless was the one who first proposed the application of click chemistry as a theory. You must be wondering why he did not get the Nobel back then. The simple answer is you can not just propose breaking the boundaries of science; you have actually to break them to win the Nobel Prize. <\/p>\n\n\n\n All that Sharpless suggested at that time was theoretical. It was not until this year that he and Meldal collaborated and proved the theory by chemically linking two molecular building blocks. Click chemistry is the branch of functional science in which biocompatible molecules snap and join together with specific biomolecules. Now, with the discovery from the Nobel laureates, this can be done with various other molecules as well. The molecular building blocks can be clubbed together in buckles to form complex molecular structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Source<\/em><\/a> \/ The famous click reaction<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The first successful reaction they performed is widely known as the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition. Azide and alkyne are not highly reactive when mixed. Sharpless and Meldal added a small amount of copper to the mixture. This led to the reaction being highly spontaneous and to the formation of a complex compound called triazole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, using specific amounts of azide and alkyne along with copper can result in larger molecules with desired structures. The head of the Nobel committee mentioned this one reaction in his speech this year, which proves how significant this one step was for the evolution of chemistry. The application of click chemistry will bring the dawn of a new age, that much is for certain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The term has a confusing touch but is very simple to understand. It is a branch of chemistry that can help study a living organism without harming it. Humans can use selective molecular building blocks that attach to buckles in the body to help analyze the living organism. It can be called click chemistry for biologists. It was in 2003 that Bertozzi proposed that click chemistry can be used to study living organisms without interfering in their life processes. It meant no more studying the corpse of an organism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Biologists can now use specific molecules that would get attached to other specific molecules in the body of the organism. It would help understand the most complex processes occurring in the organism’s body. Bertozzi used the click reaction in the late 90s and early 2000s to study glycans in fishes and their movements across cell membranes. With this approach, it was nearly possible for her to study what she intended to. Today, using the same technique<\/a>, even the glycans found in tumour cells can be tracked easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the biggest advantages of click and bi-orthogonal chemistry is that the reactions involved do not have any byproducts. There are zero chances of any toxic outcome from the use of this functional form of chemistry. Currently, click chemistry is used in drug delivery at the right place in the body, DNA sequencing, and even synthesis of new and \u2018smart\u2019 materials. Apart from these, there is a wide world of possibilities for click chemistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, for bi-orthogonal chemistry, the possibilities are endless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The applications of this concept in the field of biology are massive. It can be used to understand how the body responds to various drugs. Imaging living cells without disturbing them is a possibility now. There are even talks that creating engineered antibodies is also possible with the help of bi-orthogonal chemistry. Studying vital processes inside a body without disturbing any functions is very much possible with the help of bi-orthogonal chemistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Click Reaction <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"copper-catalyzed](\"https:\/\/entropymag.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Azide-alkyne-cycloaddition2-1024x262-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBi-orthogonal Chemistry <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Bi-orthogonal](\"https:\/\/entropymag.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/43586_2021_32_Figa_HTML-1024x717.png\")
Applications of Click Chemistry and Bi-orthogonal chemistry <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Nobel Laureates in Chemistry for 2022 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n