(Phys.org)—A key chemical component to antibiotics,such as penicillin is the beta-lactam, a four-membered amide ring that is fused to another heterocycle. Researchers in drug design would like to explore compounds using a similar structure. One avenue may be found in the four-member azetidine ring. Similar to the beta-lactam ring, or it is a four-membered amine heterocycle. However,less progress has been made for benzazetidines, an azetidine fused to a benzene ring, and due to the meaningful ring strain in these four-membered scaffolds.
Source: phys.org