Lives of Chemists

In John Elmsley’s review of the book Aleksandr Porfir’evich Borodin, he states, “Chemistry has a habit of breaking out in the most unusual places, stirring a group of young people to action and producing world-changing discoveries.” ¹ The chemists whose names are gathered on these pages form a diverse group. They are people from different places and different times who reflect a wide variety of research interests. They are united, however, in the two respects that Elmsley mentions: action and discovery. These chemists established research goals and tenaciously pursued them, whether in academia or in industry. They shared their knowledge and the results of their research through teaching, speaking, and writing. Active not only in the laboratory but also in the world, some of them are better known for their contributions in fields unrelated to science. Many of their research projects were geared toward meeting practical needs – developing new methods and products, serving their countries during times of war, and searching for cures to life-threatening diseases. Many of their scientific quests resulted in discoveries that changed the world. For their contributions, these chemists received numerous honors and awards, some of them even earning Nobel Prizes. They deserve recognition not only for their discoveries but also for their daily commitment to science and to humanity. Perhaps this dedication is one of the primary characteristics that has inspired biographers to explore the lives of these noted chemists in depth. No doubt, a desire to recognize daily commitment has played a part in Editor Jeffrey L. Seeman’s and the American Chemical Society’s publication of the autobiographies of twentieth-century chemists. ²