D.John Faulkner.Highlights of Marine Natural Products Chemistry (1972-1999).Nat.Prod.Rep.,2000,17,1-6. MILLENNIUM REVIEW Highlights of marine natural products chemistry (1972-1999) D.John Faulkner Scripps Institution of Oceanography.University of Califormia at San Diego,La Jolla,CA 92093-0212.USA Received(in Cambridge)12th November 1999 in structural elucidation.-10 Unfortunately,the tremendous Covering:1972-1999 impact of the palytoxin and maitotoxin studies had the effect of making studies of smaller toxic molecules seem less challeng- ing.which is far from the truth.The increasing frequency of 1 Highlights of marine natural products chemistry toxic algal blooms and the associated shellfish contamination (1972-1999) ensures that studies of marine toxins will continue to be of Marine Natural Products Chemistry is essentially a child of the importance well into the next century and probably for as long 1970's that developed rapidly during the 1980's and matured in as human consumption of seafood continues the last decade.With a few notable exceptions,it is difficult to Research on bioactive compounds from marine organisms select individual papers that significantly impacted the field. has provided the bread and butter support of marine natural However,marine natural products chemistry has often influ- products research throughout the past quarter century.Although enced other fields and that aspect is the focus of this review.It none of the discoveries has yet led to a pharmaceutical product. is clear that the early directions taken by marine natural there is hope that one or more of the many marine natural products chemists drew as much from the examples provided by products currently under investigation will eventually do so.11 insect chemical ecology as from the longer history of phy- Since the current status of marine biomedical research has been tochemistry.By 1975 there were already three parallel tracks in a popular subject for many recent reviews,12 just a few marine natural products chemistry:marine toxins,marine examples will be highlighted here.Among the anticancer comnounde mrentltt nnder investination hitoctatin 1 5 cenesD. John Faulkner. Highlights of Marine Natural Products Chemistry (1972–1999). Nat. Prod. Rep., 2000, 17, 1-6