Chemistry

Edited by: Neeraja Sankaran K.C. Nicolaou, Z. Yang, J.J. Liu, H. Ueno, P.G. Nantermet, R.K. Guy, C.F. Claiborne, J. Renaud, E.A. Couladouros, K. Paulvannan, E.J. Sorensen, "Total synthesis of taxol," Nature, 367:630-4, 1994. (Cited in 67 publications through April 1995) Comments by K.C. Nicolaou, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, Calif. This paper was the most cited paper in chemistry in 1994-- ranking 12th overall in citations to scientific papers last year--according to the Science Citat

| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share

Edited by: Neeraja Sankaran
K.C. Nicolaou, Z. Yang, J.J. Liu, H. Ueno, P.G. Nantermet, R.K. Guy, C.F. Claiborne, J. Renaud, E.A. Couladouros, K. Paulvannan, E.J. Sorensen, "Total synthesis of taxol," Nature, 367:630-4, 1994. (Cited in 67 publications through April 1995)

Comments by K.C. Nicolaou, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, Calif.

This paper was the most cited paper in chemistry in 1994-- ranking 12th overall in citations to scientific papers last year--according to the Science Citation Index of the Philadelphia-based Institute for Scientific Information.

Enumerating various reasons for the article's success, K.C. Nicolaou, professor and chairman of the department of chemistry at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., and a professor of chemistry at the University of California, San Diego, declares that it "was the first to report the total [chemical] synthesis of taxol, [which] was by 1994 a household name as a new anti-cancer agent, and a molecule ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here
Image of a man in a laboratory looking frustrated with his failed experiment.
February 2026

A Stubborn Gene, a Failed Experiment, and a New Path

When experiments refuse to cooperate, you try again and again. For Rafael Najmanovich, the setbacks ultimately pushed him in a new direction.

View this Issue
Human-Relevant In Vitro Models Enable Predictive Drug Discovery

Advancing Drug Discovery with Complex Human In Vitro Models

Stemcell Technologies
Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Beckman Coulter logo
Conceptual multicolored vector image of cancer research, depicting various biomedical approaches to cancer therapy

Maximizing Cancer Research Model Systems

bioxcell

Products

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Pioneers Life Sciences Innovation with High-Quality Bioreagents on Inside Business Today with Bill and Guiliana Rancic

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Expands Research Reagent Portfolio to Support Global Nipah Virus Vaccine and Diagnostic Development

Beckman Coulter

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences Partners with Automata to Accelerate AI-Ready Laboratory Automation

Refeyn logo

Refeyn named in the Sunday Times 100 Tech list of the UK’s fastest-growing technology companies