Development of the industrial synthesis of vitamin A

The advances made in chemistry during the last 70 years are excellently illustrated by the development of the industrial synthesis of vitamin A, a diterpene crucial in preventing premature death and visual problems. Arens and van Dorp published the first route in 1946, and critical contributions have been made by a number of scientists since, benefitting from fruitful collaborations between industry and academia. However, these improvements have been mostly incremental, and the work has been performed by a limited number of companies; as yet, there is still no 'ideal' synthesis of vitamin A. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.