Molnupiravir is an orally bioavailable direct acting antiviral agent that recently received emergency use authorization from the FDA for the treatment of patients with mild, moderate, or severe COVID-19. The drug molecule targets the viral polymerase of SARS-CoV-2 and causes multiple irreversible errors in the genetic code of the virus, which then prevents successful viral replication. There are multiple process chemistry routes published in the literature for molnupiravir synthesis that attempt to maximize synthetic yield while minimizing cost and waste. In this way, the values of a process scale route are similar to those in the organic chemistry teaching laboratory. We have developed a multi-week laboratory module for our Organic Chemistry II Laboratory course directed toward chemistry and biochemistry majors. In this project, our students conduct a multi-step synthesis of molnupiravir that is derived directly from the published process chemistry literature. We utilize this opportunity to introduce students to reading and interpreting these primary experimental sources. As part of their laboratory activities, students utilize HPLC and NMR spectroscopy to characterize their intermediates and assess the purity of their final product. The relevance of this laboratory experience to the pandemic that has dominated their lives over the last two years motivates the students to a high level of engagement with this experimental module. We will report our in-lab activities and student generated data as well as suggestions for how this laboratory experiment could be tailored to meet similar learning objectives in other course and school contexts.

Turning process-scale synthesis of a COVID-19 antiviral drug into an undergraduate lab experience in modern synthetic organic chemistry

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.