title: Development of the semi-synthetic penicillins and cephalosporins.
abstract: Semi-synthetic penicillins and cephalosporins both derive from their respective chemical nuclei, 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA) and 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA). Work leading to their isolation was being carried out in parallel, but following very different pathways, during the last half of the 1950s. The development of 6-APA was reviewed recently in this journal, and in the present article I take a closer look at early work on 'penicillin amidase' and revisit the steps that led to 7-ACA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, UK. yks86@dial.pipex.com
authors.forename: J M T
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hamilton-Miller
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000266:history*; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000266:history*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D010406:Penicillins / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000266:history*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002511:Cephalosporins; D010406:Penicillins