Skeletal editing is a cutting-edge synthetic chemistry approach that enables the insertion, deletion, or swapping of individual atoms within a molecule’s core framework—essentially a molecular “cut-and-paste.” The June 2025 C&EN feature highlights efforts led by University of Oklahoma associate professor Indrajeet Sharma, whose lab has developed a bench-stable sulfenylnitrene reagent that safely and selectively inserts a single nitrogen atom into five-membered N‑heterocycles under metal‑free, ambient conditions—dramatically advancing the precision of late-stage skeletal editing. His work, along with earlier efforts such as swapping carbon for nitrogen in benzene by Mark Levin's group, marks a significant leap toward more efficient drug discovery and molecular design, though the field still faces challenges in broad scalability and general reaction scope.
