Ružička's biogenetic isoprene rule
Regla biogenética del isopreno (Ružička)
- Date
- 1921-1953 · confidence medium
- Place
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Credited to
- Leopold (Lavoslav) Ružička
- Field
- Matter & energy
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What was discovered
He proposed that terpenes and steroids are built by joining isoprene units and that squalene cyclises to cholesterol. The rule organises the chemistry of thousands of natural products.
Otto Wallach had already stated the isoprene rule in 1887; Ružička's 'biogenetic rule' with Eschenmoser, Heusser and Jeger (1953) extends it to biosynthesis. The entry records its modern formulation.
What it led to
- biosynthesis of terpenoids and steroids
- synthesis of perfumes, vitamins and hormones