Natural product chemistry is learned by looking closely: at organisms and extracts, chromatograms and spectra, structures and biological context, and the decisions that connect one observation to the next. This project makes those decisions visible.
Articles here examine noteworthy scientific papers and the evidence, reasoning, and implications within them. Opinions test useful tools or make a reasoned position explicit. When publication rights allow, the underlying analytical evidence will appear beside the interpretation so readers can inspect it themselves.
The first full case study follows Cyclo(L-Pro-L-Leu), also known as Gancidin W, through a set of one- and two-dimensional NMR experiments. Its assignments will remain a draft until every correlation has been reviewed.
Four ways to read
Articles offer close readings of noteworthy papers, each labeled by the contribution the paper makes: chemical diversity, biosynthesis, research methodology, or review. Opinions assess tools and present reasoned viewpoints with their context made clear. Exercises ask readers to interpret evidence before the structure is revealed. Examples keep the structure visible while demonstrating what a technique contributes and how the reasoning works.
A shared laboratory notebook
This is an independent educational project, not a substitute for peer-reviewed literature. References, uncertainties, corrections, and revision dates will remain attached to each publication.
Researchers at any career stage can propose a topic, report a correction, or contribute a piece through the public GitHub repository. The aim is a useful record of how natural product chemists reason, including the parts that merit another look.