“Scientists in China have solved a 140-year-old chemistry problem in a breakthrough that could

overturn traditional production methods and slash the cost of cancer treatments and other

expensive medicinal compounds…

The researchers proposed a straightforward alternative to the expensive, complex and dangerous method used by the chemical industry for more than a century to synthesise drugs and pesticides from a class of organic compounds called amines. According to the paper, the team’s approach overcomes the many issues that have plagued the classical method, including the risk of explosions, and it holds promise for making the production of important chemicals safer and more affordable.”

From South China Morning Post.