# Chiral and specialty building blocks

Single-handed (enantiopure) molecules such as amino alcohols, chiral amines and lactones used to build drugs and modern agrochemicals; made by resolution, asymmetric catalysis or enzymes.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/chiral_building_blocks/

Fine chemicals · Other fine chemicals · No. 102

- Product family
- not published
- HS 2922, 2932
 Fine chemicals · Other fine chemicals · Foundation · Matter

Many drug molecules come in left- and right-handed forms, and the wrong hand can be useless or even harmful.

Chart: Illustration: Chiral and specialty building blocks

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Handedness comes from nature's chiral pool, from metal catalysts used at 0.001-0.1 mol%, from enzymes, or by separating a mixture, which needs at least 2 t of racemate per tonne.

##### Three things to know

1. Since the FDA's 1992 policy, regulators expect new drugs to be developed as single enantiomers, so each stereocentre needs a chiral source or step.
2. Single-isomer agrochemicals can halve the dose, as when S-metolachlor replaced metolachlor; agrochemicals are 12% of demand.
3. Merck and Codexis replaced a rhodium step in sitagliptin with an engineered enzyme, cutting total waste by 19%.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Chiral source**Sugars, amino acids, tartaric or lactic acid
2. 2 **Set handedness**Resolution, asymmetric catalysis or enzymes
3. 3 **Building block**Purified to 98-99.5% enantiomeric excess
4. 4 **Drug synthesis**Built into APIs and advanced intermediates
5. 5 **Products**Medicines, single-isomer pesticides, menthol
 Covered in [Pharmaceuticals and fermentation: from molecule to medicineChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/pharmaceuticals-and-fermentation/)

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## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/chiral_building_blocks/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/chiral_building_blocks/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/chiral_building_blocks/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/chiral_building_blocks/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/chiral_building_blocks/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/chiral_building_blocks/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/chiral_building_blocks/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/chiral_building_blocks/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/chiral_building_blocks/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/chiral_building_blocks/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/chiral_building_blocks/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/chiral_building_blocks/links/index.md)