The determination of the molecular structure of organic compounds is of widespread interest, not only in the chemical sciences, but in the biological, environmental, geological and health sciences as well. It is an especially important component of drug discovery.
Some chemotherapeutic agents are complex compounds derived from natural sources.
An approach to structure elucidation in common use today is based on the interpretation of spectroscopic data as the source of structural information. As recently as twenty to thirty years ago, information on chemical behavior was often used in conjunction with spectral data. However, as more became known about correlations between spectra and structure, and as large databases of assigned spectral data became more readily available, structure elucidation became much more heavily dependent on spectral data. The next generation of these instruments will likely be even faster. Thus, although reliability may not be a problem, productivity, i.e., throughout is.