Is the brain ready for physical organic chemistry?

Efforts to developed detailed insights into the structure and function of the molecules of memory, thought and sensory perception—physical organic chemistry on the brain—are described. By combining more conventional chemical tools with a number of techniques adapted from modern biology, it is now possible to perform systematic structure–function studies on the integral membrane proteins that play a central role in molecular neurobiology. There are substantial challenges associated with such studies, but we believe the potential payoff is considerable.