Sven-Olov Lawesson (9 September 1926, in Bräcke, Sweden – 5 March 1985) was a Swedish

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 ...

known for his popularization of

Lawesson's reagent Lawesson's reagent (LR) is a chemical compound used in organic synthesis as a thiation agent. Lawesson's reagent was first made popular by Sven-Olov Lawesson, who did not, however, invent it. Lawesson's reagent was first made in 1956 during a sy ...

within the chemical community. He is also known for his 1982 work exploring the possibility of a connection between recreational use of amyl nitrite and an increased incidence of

Kaposi's sarcoma Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a type of cancer that can form masses on the skin, in lymph nodes, in the mouth, or in other organs. The skin lesions are usually painless, purple and may be flat or raised. Lesions can occur singly, multiply in a limite ...

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...

men. Lawesson obtained his education at

Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially fou ...

. He did most of his work at the University of Aarhus in Denmark and his last paper was published in 1986. After finding that 2,4-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)-1,3,2,4-dithiadiphosphetane 2,4-disulfide was useful for some reactions, Lawesson undertook a general survey of the reactivity of organic compounds with this reagent. It is often named after him as Lawesson's reagent. The synthesis of thioketones is his most cited paper. At one point S. O. Lawesson worked with the chemist N. M. Yousif. After Lawesson's death, Yousif has been working in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

and has been very active within the

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol P and atomic number 15. All elemental forms of phosphorus are highly Reactivity (chemistry), reactive and are therefore never found in nature. They can nevertheless be prepared ar ...

sulfur Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms ...

chemical community. Yousif has published many new

reaction Reaction may refer to a process or to a response to an action, event, or exposure. Physics and chemistry *Chemical reaction *Nuclear reaction *Reaction (physics), as defined by Newton's third law * Chain reaction (disambiguation) Biology and ...

s of Lawesson's reagent. Prof T. B. Rauchfuss, who is in the United States did some very important work on Lawesson's reagent. He did the ³¹P NMR experiment which proved that Lawesson's reagent could form the dithiophosphine

ylide An ylide () or ylid () is a neutral dipolar molecule containing a formally negatively charged atom (usually a carbanion) directly attached to a heteroatom with a formal positive charge (usually nitrogen, phosphorus or sulfur), and in which both ...

s in solution.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawesson, Sven-Olov 1926 births 1985 deaths Uppsala University alumni Place of birth missing Place of death missing Swedish chemists Swedish expatriates in Denmark 20th-century Swedish people