Finding function and form.

The ability to recreate Nature's molecules through chemical synthesis is undoubtedly one of the greatest triumphs of the human imagination. To date, thousands of natural products have been synthesized and targets that looked like an impossible task only recently, such as a single glycoform of erythropoietin, have been reached. An achievement that would have astonished researchers several decades ago is now taken for granted and total synthesis seems to be at the height of its power. Nevertheless, the eld is currently under re, at least in societies that have traditionally supported it. On one hand, the total synthesis of natural products is portrayed as a routine operation that always results in success, provided enough time and money is spent. On the other hand, its ability to support biological investigations or provide access to drugs is called into question. It seems that as synthetic chemists we are caught between a rock and a hard place. Due to criticism and misconceptions such as these, total synthesis has become more difficult to justify to funding agencies and colleagues from other walks of science. The day when this fact can be safely ignored, as not to appear defensive, has long passed. I think that this criticism will ebb and total synthesis will continue to thrive if