The Conquest of Taxol

Much has been written about taxol, one of the newest weapons against cancer, and its producer, the Pacific Yew tree (Taxus brevifolia). In this article, the authors give a frank and behind‐the‐scenes account of their encounter with this well‐known molecule, which they and their collaborators faced as a synthetic target. Once again total synthesis is found to offer excellent opportunities for developing new synthetic strategies and novel reactions. The team of chemists who took up this challenge emerged with valuable experience and confidence in their skills.