25 years of chemistry that simply clicks (original) (raw)

• NEWS AND VIEWS
• 06 May 2026

When the concept of ‘click’ chemistry — highly effective and specific reactions — was first reported, some dismissed it as a gimmick. But it has transformed many fields of research.

By

1. Willow A. Davis
   1. Willow A. Davis is in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
2. Ellen M. Sletten
   1. Ellen M. Sletten is in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.

In 2001, the chemists H. C. Kolb, M. G. Finn and K. Barry Sharpless published a review1 in Angewandte Chemie that revolutionized how molecules were used in several scientific fields. The paper launched the concept of click chemistry: a class of chemical reactions that work in solution exceptionally efficiently to ‘click’ together two or more molecules in a highly specific manner and without producing any unwanted by-products. Originally conceived of as a tool for synthesizing pharmaceutical candidates, click chemistry is now widely used by biologists and engineers, and won Sharpless a share of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

References

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Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.