Lyman C. Craig (born 1906 in Palmyra Township, Warren County,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

; died 1974) was a chemical researcher who worked at

The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research The Rockefeller University is a private biomedical research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and provides doctoral and postdoctoral education. It is classified ...

from 1933 onward. In 1944 he published a seminal work on

countercurrent distribution Countercurrent distribution (CCD, also spelled "counter current" distribution) is an analytical chemistry technique which was developed by Lyman C. Craig in the 1940s. Countercurrent distribution is a separation process that is founded on the princ ...

, which became an important separation technique. Craig continued to develop the theory, improve the apparatus and devise new applications of the countercurrent distribution into the 1970s. Countercurrent distribution not only proved to be a useful separation technique, it also inspired the development of the field of

countercurrent chromatography Countercurrent chromatography (CCC, also counter-current chromatography) is a form of liquid–liquid chromatography that uses a liquid Stationary phase (chemistry), stationary phase that is held in place by inertia of the molecules composing the s ...

. In 1950, Craig invented the

rotary evaporator A rotary evaporator (rotovap) is a device used in chemical laboratories for the efficient and gentle removal of solvents from samples by evaporation. When referenced in the chemistry research literature, description of the use of this technique an ...

which is a necessary equipment in most chemical labs. He also invented the Craig tube, an apparatus used in small-scale chemistry, in particular for recrystallization. He received recognition from his peers and several honors for his scientific accomplishments. He was elected to the

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 ...

in 1950. He was the recipient of the 1963

Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research The Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research is one of the Lasker Award, prizes awarded by the Lasker Foundation for a fundamental discovery that opens up a new area of biomedical science. The award frequently precedes a Nobel Prize in Phys ...

. He also was nominated for the

Nobel Prize in Chemistry The Nobel Prize in Chemistry () is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outst ...

.Cached page at the Nobel Prize site

References

Recipients of the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research People from Warren County, Iowa 1906 births 1974 deaths 20th-century American chemists {{US-chemist-stub