In chemistry a convergent synthesis is a strategy that aims to imrpove the effeciency of multi-step chemical synthesis. In linear synthesis the overall yield quickly drops with each reaction step:
- A → B → C → D
Suppose the the yield is 50% for each reaction, the overall yield of D is only 12.5% from A.
In a convergent synthesis
- A → B (50%)
- C → D (50%)
- B + D → E (25%)
the overall yield of E (25%) looks much better. Convergent synthesis is applied in the synthesis of complex molecules (see total synthesis) and involve fragment coupling and independent synthesis.
Example:
- Convergent synthesis is encountered in dendrimer synthesis [1] where branches (with the number of generations preset) are connected to the central core
See also: divergent synthesis
Reference
[1] Convergent Synthesis of Internally Branched PAMAM Dendrimers Michael Pittelkow, Jrn B. Christensen Org. Lett., 7 (7), 1295 -1298, 2005