Sci-Tech · 16 Jul 2026

IIT Bombay C-H activation muricatacin

Which one of the following correctly describes the context of IIT Bombay's recently published research on selective C-H activation?

AThe method allows scientists to convert straight-chain carbon compounds like fatty acids into ring-shaped molecules by selectively targeting one carbon atom in an otherwise indistinguishable chain
BThe compound muricatacin, synthesised using this method, is naturally abundant and easily extracted in large quantities from the soursop fruit
CThe research was conducted entirely by IIT Bombay without collaboration from any other national research institution
DThe new method primarily improves the efficiency of extracting bioactive compounds directly from plant material rather than synthesising them in a laboratory
This question is based on: IIT Bombay's New Method Could Make Drug Discovery Faster, Cheaper, More Sustainable
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About this question

Why in news

IIT Bombay researchers led by Professor Debabrata Maiti published a new chemical method in Nature that synthesises over 10 bioactive molecules, including the anti-cancer compound muricatacin, in fewer synthesis steps with less chemical waste.

Why for UPSC

UPSC has tested biotechnology's contribution to biopharma directly (2022, GS3); this question checks whether aspirants understand the precise scientific mechanism (selective targeting) and can correctly reject a plausible-sounding but inverted distractor about natural extraction.

Prelims summary

IIT Bombay's selective C-H activation method, developed with BARC, converts abundant fatty acids into complex ring-shaped bioactive molecules like muricatacin, which is otherwise extremely difficult to extract from its natural source (soursop).

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