Alexander McKenzie (chemist) facts for kids

Alexander McKenzie (born December 6, 1869, in Dundee, Scotland – died June 11, 1951) was an important Scottish chemist. He was known for his work in stereochemistry, which is about how atoms are arranged in 3D space in molecules. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society, a very respected group of scientists. McKenzie, along with another scientist named Marckwald, was one of the first to report a special way to separate chemical mixtures called kinetic resolution in 1899.

Alexander McKenzie's Life

Early Life and Education

Alexander McKenzie went to the High School of Dundee from 1882 to 1885. In 1885, he started studying chemistry at the University of St Andrews. His teacher there was Professor Thomas Purdie. McKenzie earned his M.A. degree in 1889 and a B.Sc. in chemistry in 1891.

Career and Research

After finishing his studies, McKenzie worked at the University of St Andrews. From 1891 to 1893, he helped Professor Purdie with lectures. Then, from 1893 to 1896, he was a "university assistant," helping with teaching. From 1896 to 1898, he worked as a research assistant for Professor Purdie, focusing on stereochemistry and how chemicals affect light (called optical activity).

In 1898, McKenzie went to the University of Berlin to work with Landolt. He earned his D.Sc. degree there in 1899. In 1901, he received his Ph.D. under the guidance of Marckwald. After that, he moved to London and worked at the Jenner Institute until 1902.

From 1902 to 1905, McKenzie was an assistant lecturer and demonstrator at Birkbeck College in London. He then became the head of the chemistry department there from 1905 to 1914. In 1914, he became the professor of chemistry at University College, Dundee. He held this important position until he retired in 1938.

McKenzie wrote or helped write over 100 research papers during his career. In 1916, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (F.R.S.), which is a great honor for scientists. Much of his early research focused on asymmetric synthesis. This is a way to make chemical compounds where the molecules are built in a specific 3D shape, like how your left hand is a mirror image of your right hand.

He was also known for his work on the Walden inversion, which is a chemical reaction where the 3D shape of a molecule flips. McKenzie was also very skilled at using the Grignard reagent, a special chemical tool that opened up many new possibilities in organic chemistry. One of his notable achievements was isolating a special form of benzoin in 1908, which was a very difficult task in stereochemistry.