2022 Nobel Prize Lectures in Chemistry

Carolyn Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and Barry Sharpless explain the development of reliable reactions for connecting molecular components and the extension of those reactions into biological systems. Meldal and Sharpless describe the ideas and discoveries behind click chemistry, including efficient azide–alkyne coupling, and its use as a practical strategy for building functional molecules. Bertozzi addresses the additional challenge of performing chemical reactions in living systems without disrupting their normal processes. Her account connects the study and labelling of cell-surface glycans with the emergence of bioorthogonal chemistry and its biological and medical applications. The lectures distinguish robust synthetic coupling from the further requirements imposed by chemistry in cells and organisms.