The development of organic chemistry research methods has gone through the process from manual operation to automation and computerization, and from constant to ultra-microscopic amounts.
Before the 40s of the 20th century, the traditional methods of distillation, crystallization, sublimation and other methods were used to purify the product, and the structure was determined by chemical degradation and derivative preparation. Later, the application of various chromatography and electrophoresis techniques, especially high-pressure liquid chromatography, changed the face of separation technology. The use of various spectroscopic and energy spectroscopy techniques has enabled organic chemists to study the internal motion of molecules, which has revolutionized the means of structure determination. The introduction of electronic computers has made a big step forward in the direction of automation and ultra-microquantification of organic compounds. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy with Fourier transform technology provide new means for the study of reaction kinetics and reaction mechanism. These instruments, together with X-ray structural analysis and electron diffraction spectroscopy, have been able to determine the chemical structure of microgram samples. Some progress has also been made in the study of the use of electronic computers to design synthetic routes. In the future, the development of organic chemistry is first to study the development and utilization of energy and resources. Most of the energy and resources we have used so far, such as coal, natural gas, oil, flora, fauna, and microorganisms, are chemical storage forms of solar energy. In the future, some of the most important issues in the future will be the more direct and efficient use of solar energy.
More in-depth research and effective use of photosynthesis is a common topic in plant physiology, biochemistry and organic chemistry. Organic chemistry can use photochemical reactions to produce high-energy organic compounds, store them, and use their reverse reactions to release energy when necessary. Another goal of the development resource is to fix carbon dioxide in response to organometallic compounds to produce an infinite supply of organic compounds. Some preliminary results have been obtained in these studies. The second is the research and development of new organocatalysts, which enable them to mimic the high-speed, efficient and gentle reaction mode of enzymes. Research in this area has already begun, and there will be further development in the future. At the end of the 60s of the 20th century, the computer-aided design research of organic synthesis began. In the future, the design of organic synthesis routes and the determination of the structure of organic compounds will become more systematic and logical.