Palytoxin is a chemical derived from single cell algae. It is the largest organic molecule ever made by humans and contains 71 asymmetric centers. Palytoxin is an immediate killing poison.
Palytoxin was isolated in 1971 from the seaweed-like coral Zoantharia in Hawaii. In 1982, the structure was clarified by Prof. Daisuke Uemura. In 1994, palytoxin was first made by chemist Yoshito Kishi.
Clearing this substance is an absolute record in organic synthesis. The strategy used by Yoshito Kishi and his employees to make the right molecule was by first making eight separate parts of the molecule and then linking them together.
Palytoxin and maitotoxin are presumably the naturally occurring molecules with the longest carbon chains, which are not biopolymer (thus preventing repeat units). The total length of their carbon chain is more than 100 Å. Structure of palytoxin
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