But 2,6-dichloro-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl isocyanate is a good example of how modern medicines are actually built.
Think of drug synthesis as molecular assembly.
Instead of constructing a complicated molecule one atom at a time, chemists often prepare separate molecular pieces and then connect them.
This compound carries one carefully designed aromatic piece, complete with two chlorine atoms and two methoxy groups.
It also carries an isocyanate group: -N=C=O.
That group acts like a chemical connection point. React it with the right amine, and the two molecular pieces can become joined through a urea linkage.
Global Chemical Database