Nelson J. Leonard

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Nelson Jordan Leonard (born September 1, 1916 in Newark (New Jersey) - † October 9, 2006 ) is an American chemist (organic synthesis, bio-organic chemistry).

Leonard graduated from Lehigh University with a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1937, was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University , where he received a B. Sc. received her PhD in organic chemistry from Columbia University in 1942 with Robert C. Elderfield . The topic of the dissertation was the structure and partial synthesis of alstonine , a natural alkaloid that was used in drugs against malaria ( Alstonia alkaloids. I. Degradation of alstonine to [beta] -carboline bases and the reduction of tetrahydroalstonine with sodium and butyl alcohol ) . As a post-doctoral student , he was with Roger Adams at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , where he studied ragweed alkaloids. During World War II he was in a group that synthesized and produced the anti-malarial drug chloroquine (under Harold R. Snyder , Charles C. Price ). In 1945/46 he was in Europe on behalf of FIAT (clarification of scientific research in the defeated Axis powers in World War II). He then returned to the University of Illinois and was there Assistant Professor and later Professor (Reynold C. Fuson Professor). In 1986 he retired.

He worked intensively on various growth factors in plants (in collaboration with the plant physiologist Folke Skoog from the University of Wisconsin). Partly with Gregorio Weber , he developed nucleic acids labeled with fluorescent substances and he developed artificial DNA and RNA derivatives. Most recently he also dealt with the structure and synthesis of cytokines .

He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences , the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1961) and the American Philosophical Society . He received the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, the 1963 American Chemical Society Award for Creative Work in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, and the Roger Adams Award . In 1983 he received an honorary doctorate (D. Sc.) From Oxford and three other honorary doctorates.

In 1991 he was a Sherman Fairchild Scholar at Caltech and he was a Guggenheim Fellow and from 1992 a Faculty Associate at Caltech. He was the editor of Organic Syntheses . He published over 400 papers.

From 1943 to 1955 he also appeared as a solo artist (bass baritone) in choral works, including with the symphony orchestras of Chicago, St. Louis and Cleveland.

He was married twice, his first marriage since 1947 to the Dutchwoman Louise Vermey (died 1987), and had a daughter and three sons.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Life data according to American Men and Women of Science , Thomson Gale 2004
  2. ↑ biographical data, publications and Academic pedigree of Nelson J. Leonard at academictree.org, accessed on 7 March 2018th
personal data
SURNAME Leonard, Nelson J.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Leonard, Nelson Jordan (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American chemist
DATE OF BIRTH September 1, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH Newark (New Jersey)
DATE OF DEATH October 9, 2006