Does CIP Nomenclature Adequately Handle Molecules with Multiple Stereoelements? A Case Study of Vancomycin and Cognates

Abstract

Great confusion is often caused by the description of the configuration of molecules with numerous stereoelements, for example, complex natural products, with the CIP system. An example is given here (see picture), that of vancomycin, a glycopeptide antibiotic, whose different stereogenic units are described and a convention for the unambiguous notation for the stereogenic axes is proposed that is hoped will clarify future scientific publications.