Carbonyl said:
Aldolases are pretty badass, but if you're looking to synthesize something (and not just expressing it off of a plasmid in culture to purify), it's cheaper and easier to go with acid and heat (or something more complicated for stereocontrol), because proteins are a lot of work to purify and have specificity to their normal substrates. I'm slowly coming to love isomerases and thioester intermediates, they are fun. I'm a protein mechanism kinda girl these days. But I do enjoy organic synthesis, it is FUN AS HELL. Hetero-Diels-Alder reactions are SEXY. And also ZOMG biologically stable ylides bring me no end of joy. Silyl-chemistry is pretty excellent, lets you do all sorts of clever things.
Sexiest thing I've ever read! XD
Still, I remember doing some carbohydrate chemistry, and replicating what would normally be a twelve step synth takes about thirty enzymes to carry it out. But for all that, awesome yields... ultimately I always ended up with about less than ten percent after a six step retro-, if I was lucky... :/ Rate of turnover, clean reaction, ease of product purification... and chiral-control, great deal if you can get enough of it.
Anyway, I'll try to weave Michael additions into anything... delightfully simple and elegant. Though, when you mention stable ylides... never heard of an enzyme mediated Wittig reaction (first thing that came to mind...).
And since we've gone off-topic, how's about we talk about endogenous opioids and calcium ion cascades... that's related to sex, isn't it?!
(And damn me, the memories of neurobiology 101...!)