Libraries of non-polymeric organic molecules

New technology is emerging that permits the chemical synthesis of large numbers of different compounds simultaneously. Combinatorial chemistry is heavily dependent upon the adaptation of organic synthesis to solid supports and has necessitated the development of appropriate analytical and chemical approaches to both monitor solid-phase reactions and release finished compounds into solution. Considerable progress has recently been made in all of these areas. Small-molecule libraries of medicinally important chemical classes, such as 1,4-benzodiazepines, mercaptopropionyl amino acids, and peptidyl phosphonates, have recently been reported. Encoded combinatorial libraries of dihydrobenzopyran-based and acylpiperidine-based pharmacophores have yielded potent inhibitors of carbonic anhydrase. Automated instrumentation is growing in importance for the synthesis of small-molecule libraries.