Cover Picture: Harnessing the Structure and Dynamics of the Squalene‐Hopene Cyclase for (−)‐Ambroxide Production (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 22/2023)

Abstract

Ambergris is a highly valued natural product in the fragrance industry and is also known as the “floating gold” due to its biosynthesis in the intestines of sperm whales. Owing to this scarce natural resource, the stereoselective synthesis of its most prominent olfactory component, (−)-Ambroxide, via alternative routes is attractive. In their Research Article (e202301607), Sílvia Osuna, Bernhard Hauer et al. demonstrate the catalytic potential of an engineered squalene-hopene cyclase in the intricate cyclization of the precursor homofarnesol. The artwork was designed by Verena Resch, Graz.