Eugene Earle van Tamelen (July 20, 1925 – December 12, 2009) 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 ...

who is especially recognized for his contributions to bioorganic chemistry. van Tamelen published five papers while an undergraduate at

Hope College Hope College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Holland, Michigan, United States. It was originally opened in 1851 as the Pioneer School by Dutch immigrants four years after the community was first settled. The first freshman coll ...

. He conducted graduate work at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, receiving his doctorate in 1950 with Gilbert Stork as his advisor. He began his academic career at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

, later joining the faculty of

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, where he spent the majority of his career. Among his many students was Nobelist K. Barry Sharpless. He led a team who were the first persons to achieve the total synthesis of

yohimbine Yohimbine, also known as quebrachine, is an indole alkaloid derived from the bark of the African tree '' Pausinystalia johimbe'' (yohimbe); also from the bark of the unrelated South American tree '' Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco''. Yohimbine is ...

. He pioneered in what is today called biomimetic synthesis. He was the first to identify squalene oxide as a precursor in the

biosynthesis Biosynthesis, i.e., chemical synthesis occurring in biological contexts, is a term most often referring to multi-step, enzyme-Catalysis, catalyzed processes where chemical substances absorbed as nutrients (or previously converted through biosynthe ...

cholesterol Cholesterol is the principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body Tissue (biology), tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in Animal fat, animal fats and oils. Cholesterol is biosynthesis, biosynthesized by all anima ...

. Van Tamelen was also the first to synthesise Dewar benzene. He developed a system for

nitrogen fixation Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular dinitrogen () is converted into ammonia (). It occurs both biologically and abiological nitrogen fixation, abiologically in chemical industry, chemical industries. Biological nitrogen ...

using titanocene. van Tamelen was also the owner of the first Marshall Erdman-built

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...

-designed pre-fabricated house, commonly known as the "Eugene van Tamelen House". In 1981, van Tamelen 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 ...

. Eugene van Tamelen died of cancer in 2009.

Awards

Among his awards, he received the ACS Award in Pure Chemistry in 1961 and was elected to the US

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

References

1925 births 2009 deaths People from Zeeland, Michigan Hope College alumni Harvard University alumni American people of Dutch descent 20th-century American chemists Stanford University Department of Chemistry faculty Deaths from cancer in California Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Founding members of the World Cultural Council {{US-chemist-stub