Editing Chemical synthesis (section)

{{Short description|Planned series of chemical reactions to produce desired product(s)}}
{{refimprove|date=March 2016}}

'''Chemical synthesis''' ('''chemical combination''') is the artificial execution of [[chemical reaction]]s to obtain one or several [[product (chemistry)|product]]s.<ref name=vogel /> This occurs by [[physics|physical]] and chemical manipulations usually involving one or more reactions. In modern [[laboratory]] uses, the process is [[reproducible]] and reliable.

A chemical synthesis involves one or more [[chemical compound|compounds]] (known as ''[[reagent]]s'' or ''reactants'') that will experience a transformation under certain conditions. [[List of reactions|Various reaction types]] can be applied to formulate a desired product. This requires mixing the compounds in a reaction vessel, such as a [[chemical reactor]] or a simple [[round-bottom flask]]. Many reactions require some form of processing ("[[work-up (chemistry)|work-up]]") or [[List of purification methods in chemistry|purification procedure]] to isolate the final product.<ref name=vogel>{{cite book|last1=Vogel|first1=A.I.|last2=Tatchell|first2=A.R.|last3=Furnis|first3=B.S.|last4=Hannaford|first4=A.J.|last5=Smith|first5=P.W.G.|year=1996|title=Vogel's Textbook of Practical Organic Chemistry|edition=5th|publisher=Prentice Hall|isbn=0-582-46236-3}}</ref>

The amount produced by chemical synthesis is known as the ''[[Yield (chemistry)|reaction yield]]''. Typically, yields are expressed as a [[mass]] in [[gram]]s (in a laboratory setting) or as a percentage of the total theoretical quantity that could be produced based on the [[limiting reagent]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-06-27 |title=12.9: Theoretical Yield and Percent Yield |url=https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/Introductory_Chemistry_(CK-12)/12:_Stoichiometry/12.09:_Theoretical_Yield_and_Percent_Yield |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=Chemistry LibreTexts |language=en}}</ref> A ''[[side reaction]]'' is an unwanted chemical reaction that can reduce the desired yield. The word ''synthesis'' was used first in a chemical context by the chemist [[Hermann Kolbe]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Kolbe |first=H. |year=1845 |title=Beiträge zur Kenntniss der gepaarten Verbindungen |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1426998 |url-status=live |journal=Annalen der Chemie und Pharmacie |volume=54 |issue=2 |pages=145–188 |doi=10.1002/jlac.18450540202 |issn=0075-4617 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630091714/https://zenodo.org/record/1426998 |archive-date=Jun 30, 2023 |via=Zenodo}}</ref>