synthesis

It took 18 months and required synthesis and testing of 79 molecules, where usually it would be expected to take about four years and at least the synthesis of 500.

"Organic synthesis is widely varied," Lowe told Salon in a phone interview.

For instance, during drug synthesis, a chemical process that results in 'cyclisation' produces the desired therapeutic compound, however 'polymerisation', another outcome, leads to unwanted byproducts.

To overcome these limitations, Prof. Kwon's team used a "combustion synthesis" method.

Understanding these fundamental processes holds great potential for developing new antibiotics that target these specific pathways in bacterial protein synthesis, according to the researchers.