Pictet–Spengler reaction
Reacción de Pictet-Spengler
- Date
- 1911 · confidence high
- Place
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Credited to
- Amé Pictet and Theodor Spengler
- Field
- Matter & energy
What was discovered
Chemical reaction that forms heterocyclic rings by condensing a β-arylethylamine with an aldehyde or ketone followed by ring closure, discovered by Amé Pictet and Theodor Spengler.
What it led to
- Synthesis of alkaloids with tetrahydroisoquinoline and β-carboline structures
- Key tool in modern pharmaceutical chemistry
- Asymmetric and catalyzed variants of the reaction
- Expansion of the toolkit of ring-closing reactions in organic chemistry