Chemoselectivity

Chemoselectivity is the preferential reaction of a chemical reagent with one of two or more different functional groups.
In a chemoselective system, a <a href="/facts/Reagent/c3GLInCu">reagent</a> in the presence of an <a href="/facts/Aldehyde/xSIRkW03">aldehyde</a> and an <a href="/facts/Ester/FoUAIIw4">ester</a> would mostly target the aldehyde, even if it has the option to react with the ester. Chemoselectivity is an area of interest in chemistry because scientists want to recreate complex biological compounds, such as <a href="/facts/Natural_product/J4RsVhmP">natural products</a>, and make specific modifications to them.
Most chemical reactions bring together atoms that have negative charge character and atoms that have positive charge character. When evaluating possible reaction outcomes, several factors should be considered. The most important being identifying where in the molecule has the most <a href="/facts/Electron_density/L5yDsk6j">electron density</a> and where has the least. This analysis gives a good prediction of reactivity, but more factors such as connectivity, <a href="/facts/Atomic_orbital/tKhgl6mL">atomic orbital</a> overlap, <a href="/facts/Solvent_effects/JLVfNDgC">solvent effects</a>, and the addition of supporting reagents can affect the reaction outcome.

Chemoselectivity open-in-new

Chemoselectivity