ðə fˈoʊkəs wʌz ɔːɹɡˈænɪk sˈɪnθəsˌɪs æz ɐplˈaɪd tə nˈuːklɪˌɑːbeɪsᵻz ænd θˌɛɹəpjˈuːɾɪk sˈʌbstənsᵻz bˌʌt hiː ˈɔːlsoʊ wˈɜːkt ɔnðə kˈɛmɪkəl dᵻɡɹɐdˈeɪʃən ʌv sˈɪlk, ˌɔn ɔːɹɡˈænɪk sˈʌlfɜː kˈɑːmpaʊndz, ænd ˌɔn pɹˈoʊtiːnz.
The focus was organic synthesis as applied to nucleobases and therapeutic substances but he also worked on the chemical degradation of silk, on organic sulfur compounds, and on proteins.