Bacterial enzymes ‘hijacked’ to create complex molecules normally made by plants – Phys.org

Chemists at Scripps Research have efficiently created three families of complex, oxygen-containing molecules that are normally obtainable only from plants.
These molecules, called terpenes, are potential starting points for new drugs and other high-value productsmarking an important development for multiple industries. In addition, the new approach could allow chemists to build many other classes of compounds.
The chemistry feat is detailed in the Aug. 13 edition of the journal Science.
The k…

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