Clara Y. Lim-Sylianco (18 August 1925 – 23 July 2013) was a Filipino

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

who was granted the title of

National Scientist of the Philippines The Order of National Scientists of the Philippines ( Tagalog: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Agham ng Pilipinas''), abbreviated as ONS, is the highest award accorded to Filipino scientists by the Philippine government. Members of the order ...

in 1994. Lim-Sylianco's research focused on

mutagen In genetics, a mutagen is a physical or chemical agent that permanently changes genetic material, usually DNA, in an organism and thus increases the frequency of mutations above the natural background level. As many mutations can cause cancer in ...

s, antimutagens, and bio-organic mechanisms. She has published articles, books, and monographs in

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the science, scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic matter, organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain ...

biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

, genetic

toxicology Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating ex ...

, and molecular nutrition. Also an educator, Lim-Sylianco has written books that are used as reference texts in college chemistry courses in the Philippines.

Education

Lim-Sylianco received an associate degree for the pre-medicine program at

Silliman University Silliman University (also referred to as Silliman or SU) is a private, Protestant, and research university located in Dumaguete City, Philippines. Established in 1901 as Silliman Institute by the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, it is ...

in 1947. However, she switched out of the Medicine track shortly after to pursue a bachelor's degree in chemistry, where she graduated as ''magna cum laude'' in 1949''.'' Lim-Sylianco then pursued a master's in Chemistry at

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

in 1949. There, she worked as a research assistant until 1951 and later took on an instructor role until she graduated in 1953. After receiving a

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

scholarship, she went to the United States to pursue her doctoral studies in biochemistry and organic chemistry at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

. She was a research assistant in the university's Department of Pediatrics from 1953 to 1955 and a research fellow in the Department of Biochemistry from 1955 to 1957.

Career and research

Lim-Sylianco moved back to teach at the chemistry and biochemistry departments of the University of the Philippines in 1957. From 1970 to 1973, she served as a consultant for the National Institute of Science and Technology. Lim-Sylianco was a prolific researcher, making contributions to several fields such as environmental mutagens and anti-mutagens, biochemical nutrition, bioorganic mechanisms, and mutagenicity of Philippine medical plants (trilaurin, trilinolein, etc.). In 1989, she became a member of the International Advisory Committee on Anti-mutagens. She was also dedicated to chemical education and wrote textbooks on organic chemistry and molecular biochemistry that were adopted nationally. These include: ''Principle of Organic Chemistry, 5th ed.,'' 1975; ''Modern Biochemistry'', 1976; ''Monograph Series on Molecular Biochemistry: Nucleic Acids, Protein, Carbohydrates, Lipids'', 1974; ''Laboratory Manual in Organic Chemistry'', 1965; and ''Laboratory Manual in Biochemistry'', 1961.

Awards and recognition

In 1958, she became a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1977, she received the Gregario Y. Zara Award. From 1974 to 1977, she was the University of the Philippines Endowment Professional Chair in Chemistry. She was recognized as a

in 1994.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lim-Sylianco, Clara 1925 births 2013 deaths Organic chemists National Scientists of the Philippines Filipino chemists Filipino women chemists 20th-century Filipino women scientists Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry People from Negros Oriental Silliman University alumni University of the Philippines alumni University of Iowa alumni Academic staff of the University of the Philippines