Frank Westheimer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frank Westheimer
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| Born | January 15, 1912 Baltimore, Maryland, United States
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| Died | April 14, 2007 (aged 95) Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
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| Alma mater | Dartmouth College, Harvard University |
| Known for | Mechanisms of enzyme catalysis, and kinetic isotope effects |
| Awards | Centenary Prize (1962) Willard Gibbs Award (1970) NAS Award in Chemical Sciences (1980) Rosenstiel Award (1980) Arthur C. Cope Award (1982) Welch Award in Chemistry (1982) William H. Nichols Medal (1982) National Medal of Science (1986) Priestley Medal (1988) Nakanishi Prize (1997) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physical organic chemistry |
| Institutions | National Academy of Sciences Harvard University |
| Doctoral advisor | James Bryant Conant, Elmer P. Kohler |
| Doctoral students | Emil T. Kaiser, Roberta F. Colman, Steven A. Benner |
| Influenced | Robert Abeles, Daniel E. Koshland |
Frank Henry Westheimer (January 15, 1912 – April 14, 2007) was an important American chemist. He taught at the University of Chicago and Harvard University. He became a top professor at Harvard and retired in 1983. A special award, the Westheimer medal, was created in his honor in 2002.
Westheimer was a pioneer in a field called physical organic chemistry. This field combines ideas from physics with the study of organic chemicals. He studied how chemical reactions happen, especially those involving enzymes. He also made big discoveries about how atoms move during reactions.
He worked with other scientists on many projects. For example, he studied how carboxylic acids behave with John Gamble Kirkwood. He also worked on understanding how molecules are built with Joseph Edward Mayer. With Birgit Vennesland, he explored how enzymes work. He also figured out how chromic acid causes reactions and how kinetic isotope effects happen.
In 1986, he received the National Medal of Science. This award recognized his amazing work. It honored his "extraordinary, original and penetrating investigations" into how chemical and biological processes work. His research greatly advanced our understanding of these reactions.
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Early Life and Education
Frank Henry Westheimer was born on January 15, 1912. His parents were Henry F. Westheimer and Carrie C. Westheimer. They lived in Baltimore, Maryland.
He went to Dartmouth College and graduated in 1932. Then, he continued his studies at Harvard University. He earned his master's degree in chemistry in 1933. He completed his doctorate (Ph.D.) in chemistry in 1935.
At Harvard, Westheimer wanted to work with a famous chemist, James Bryant Conant. Conant was not taking new students, but Westheimer waited patiently. Eventually, he became Conant's last graduate student. Conant encouraged Westheimer to work on important problems. This idea stayed with Westheimer throughout his career.
Westheimer finished his Ph.D. with Professor E.P. Kohler. After Harvard, he worked with Louis Plack Hammett at Columbia University. Hammett was a founder of physical organic chemistry. This field uses physics to understand how organic chemicals react.
Career Highlights
Westheimer taught at the University of Chicago from 1936 to 1954. He then moved to Harvard University in 1953. He taught at Harvard until 1983, becoming a top professor there. He was also the head of Harvard's chemistry department from 1959 to 1962. He stopped teaching in 1983 and retired from research in 1988.
Work at University of Chicago
Westheimer's first job was at the University of Chicago in 1936. He taught the university's first course in physical organic chemistry.
While at Chicago, he worked with John Gamble Kirkwood. They studied how electric charges (electrostatics) affect organic compounds. They published important papers on how these charges influence the properties of organic acids. Their work helped explain how different theories about acids could both be true.
During World War II, from 1943 to 1945, Westheimer worked for the government. He researched nitric acid for the National Defense Research Committee. This work was secret, which meant he couldn't share his discoveries right away.
Westheimer also learned from physicists Joseph Edward Mayer and Maria Goeppert-Mayer. He used their ideas about statistical mechanics to understand how molecules are put together. He studied how atoms arrange themselves in organic molecules. This work helped create the field of molecular mechanics, which is now used widely.
In 1943, Westheimer began publishing about how chromic acid causes reactions. He wrote an important review of this area in 1949.
In 1950, he started working with biochemist Birgit Vennesland. They studied how enzymes use specific atoms in reactions. They looked at how the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase works. They discovered that this enzyme could tell the difference between two identical-looking hydrogen atoms. This was a big step in understanding how enzymes are so precise. Their work was recognized with an award in 2006.
Discoveries at Harvard University
After moving to Harvard in 1953, Westheimer continued his research. He focused on how reactions happen, especially with isotopes and oxidation. In 1955, he started publishing about the chemistry of phosphate compounds.
He studied how ATP (a molecule that carries energy in cells) transfers phosphate. His ideas helped scientists understand how many enzyme reactions work.
In 1961, Westheimer applied statistical mechanics to understand how isotopes affect reaction speed. His work on kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) is still fundamental today. The way a reaction's speed changes with isotopes is sometimes called the "Westheimer Effect."
Westheimer also came up with the idea of "photoaffinity labeling." This is a method to find the "active sites" on proteins where reactions happen. He showed how to use light to attach a special chemical to an enzyme. This helped scientists map out the enzyme's important parts.
He also studied how phosphate transfer reactions happen. He predicted that certain phosphate compounds could quickly change their shape. These changes are called "pseudorotation." Westheimer developed "Westheimer's rules." These rules help predict the results of reactions involving phosphorus.
In 1987, Westheimer wrote an important paper in the journal Science. It was titled "Why nature chose phosphates." He explained why phosphates are so important for living things. They are used as signals and building blocks for RNA and DNA. His work continues to inspire chemists today.
Awards and Recognition
Frank Westheimer received many honors for his scientific work. He became a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1954. He also joined the American Philosophical Society in 1976. In 1983, he became a foreign member of the Royal Society of London.
From 1964 to 1965, he led a committee for the National Academy of Sciences. This committee wrote a report called Chemistry: Opportunities and Needs. This report, also known as the "Westheimer Report," encouraged the U.S. government to spend more on chemistry research. It also highlighted biochemistry as an important area for medical research. The report's ideas were put into action and are still seen as very important.
Westheimer was also a member of President Lyndon Johnson's science advisory committee from 1967 to 1970. He served on the Council of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.
He cared about more than just science. He spoke out against wars and supported efforts to protect the environment. He believed in reducing pollution, fighting global warming, and finding new energy sources. He also thought science should be taught in new ways to help everyone understand it better.
Among his many awards are:
- The NAS Award in Chemical Sciences (1980)
- The Robert A. Welch Foundation Award (1982)
- The National Medal of Science (1986)
- The Priestley Medal (1988)
- The Repligen Award for the Chemistry of Biological Processes (1992)
- The Nakanishi Prize (1997)
A fellow chemist, Elias James Corey, said that Westheimer had a special ability. He could take very difficult problems and solve them in a clear and complete way. He loved finding new challenges more than just sticking to the areas he had already explored.
The Westheimer medal was created in his honor in 2002 by Harvard University. It is given for excellent research in chemistry, especially in organic and biological chemistry.
Family Life
Frank H. Westheimer married Jeanne E. Friedman in 1937. They had two daughters, Ellen Westheimer and Ruth Susan Westheimer.
