Complete 6 pages APA formatted article: Ugi Reaction. The history of the Ugi reaction dates back to the middle of the 20th century, but it was not before the beginning of the 21st century that its value and benefits for the evolution of organic chemistry were consistently recognized. Ivar Ugi is believed to be the father of all multicomponent reactions [28]. Ugi is also considered the grandfather of the whole combinatorial chemistry [29]. Today’s chemists rely on the advantages of the Ugi reaction, to synthesize diverse collections/ libraries of biologically interesting products. This is particularly the case of the drug industry, which relies on the premise of discovery and innovations and demands fast methods of chemical analysis and synthesis of complex molecules.

The Ugi reaction is a popular object of contemporary chemical research. Dozens of studies were performed to understand the hidden benefits of the Ugi reaction and its implications for chemistry. “The Ugi reaction is the one-pot condensation of an amine, aldehyde or ketone, isocyanide, and a nucleophile to afford α-substitute carboxamide derivatives” [17]. The Ugi reaction is particularly useful in drug and pharmaceutical applications since it can exemplify a broad range of chemical substitutes and lead to the creation of peptidomimetics of value in the pharmaceutical industry. The mechanism of the Ugi reaction usually involves an imine formation which precedes condensation of the amine and aldehyde [17]. The carboxylic acid is then added together with the imino carbon. acyl transfer rearranges the resulting acylated isoamide, leading to the creation of the desired product [17].

That the reaction occurs at room temperature also means that the reaction is relatively simple and cost-effective: it does not require using artificial additions and can be easily held without complex temperature-regulating mechanisms.