The model to the left depicts a molecule of a quinolone called lomefloxacin. The structure of this molecule was determined by KU scientists whom we'll talk about later. They used a technique called X-ray crystallography.
Techniques like X-ray crystallography have quickened the pace of chemical research in the past few decades. We've advanced tremendously in our ability to determine the structures of molecules quickly and accurately using specialized research instruments.
Penicillin, one of the best-known antibiotics, was discovered (or, perhaps. rediscovered) in 1928 by Sir Alexander Fleming -- entirely by chance. But it took from then until 1944 before anyone knew what its molecular structure looked like. It was then that Dorothy Hodgkin solved the mystery, using X-ray crystallography.
Penicillin is a comparatively small and simple molecule. Today, even if we had only one milligram (about .0004 ounces) of an unknown substance like penicillin, we could determine its structure in a couple of days.
It's still not easy. Before X-ray crystallography can be applied to a new substance, a pure crystal of the substance must be grown. Growing X-ray quality crystals is an art as much as a science, and for someone who desperately wants to grow a crystal, the trial-and-error process involved can be incredibly frustrating! (Growing a crystal isn't always possible, so, fortunately, there are other powerful techniques, which don't require pure crystals, to identify new molecules. These include mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry.)
The molecular structure of the quinolone lomefloxacin was nailed by KU molecular bioscientist Fusao Takusagawa. He used X-ray crystallography. Oddly enough, a crystal of this particular quinolone was not grown on purpose. It happened by chance. Although few lucky breaks lead to a Nobel Prize -- as happened with Fleming -- luck plays a huge role in scientific progress.
Click for the story of how luck figured into the discovery of lomefloxacin's structure.
Dorothy Hodgkin
Fusao Takusagawa
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