Ernest Ludwig Eliel (December 28, 1921 – September 18, 2008) was an

organic chemist 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 ...

born in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Among his awards were the

Priestley Medal The Priestley Medal is the highest honor conferred by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and is awarded for distinguished service in the field of chemistry. Established in 1922, the award is named after Joseph Priestley, one of the discoverers of ...

in 1996 Michigan State University. Department of Chemistry. Portraits. Ernest L. Eliel
retrieved Aug. 11, 2018.
Ernest Ludwig Eliel , 1921 - 2008 , Obituary, retrieved May 5, 2017. and the NAS Award for Chemistry in Service to Society in 1997. When the Nazis came to power, he left Germany and moved to Scotland, then Canada, then Cuba. He received his B.S. from the

University of Havana The University of Havana (UH; ) is a public university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of Cuba. Founded on 5 January 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, and one of the first to be founded in the Americas. Originall ...

in 1946. He moved to the United States in 1946 and taught at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

from 1948. In 1972 he moved to be the W.R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Chemistry at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

until his retirement in 1993. Eliel was elected a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 1980. In 1981, Eliel became a founding member of the

World Cultural Council The World Cultural Council is an international organization whose goals are to promote cultural values, goodwill and philanthropy among individuals. The organization founded in 1982 and based in Mexico, has held a yearly award ceremony since 198 ...

. He served as president of the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

in 1992. In 1995 he received the George C. Pimentel Award in Chemical Education, and in 1996 he was awarded the

of the

. He died in

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States census, making Chapel Hill the List of municipa ...

. His research focussed on the

stereochemistry Stereochemistry, a subdiscipline of chemistry, studies the spatial arrangement of atoms that form the structure of molecules and their manipulation. The study of stereochemistry focuses on the relationships between stereoisomers, which are defined ...

and conformational analysis of flexible organic molecules, including derivatives of

cyclohexane Cyclohexane is a cycloalkane with the molecular formula . Cyclohexane is non-polar. Cyclohexane is a colourless, flammable liquid with a distinctive detergent-like odor, reminiscent of cleaning products (in which it is sometimes used). Cyclohexan ...

and saturated

heterocyclic A heterocyclic compound or ring structure is a cyclic compound that has atoms of at least two different elements as members of its ring(s). Heterocyclic organic chemistry is the branch of organic chemistry dealing with the synthesis, proper ...

rings, using

nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, most commonly known as NMR spectroscopy or magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), is a Spectroscopy, spectroscopic technique based on re-orientation of Atomic nucleus, atomic nuclei with non-zero nuclear sp ...

(NMR) extensively. His 1962 textbook ''Stereochemistry of Carbon Compounds'' influenced generations of organic chemists. The most recent edition is ''Stereochemistry of Organic Compounds'', co-authored in 1994 with Samuel H. Wilen.

References

External links

Jeffrey I. Seeman, "Ernest L. Eliel", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences (2014)
1921 births 2008 deaths American organic chemists Presidents of the American Chemical Society University of Notre Dame faculty University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Founding members of the World Cultural Council Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Scientists from Cologne Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States Stereochemists 20th-century American chemists {{US-chemist-stub