George Wallace Kenner facts for kids

George Wallace Kenner (born November 16, 1922 – died June 26, 1978) was an important British organic chemist. He was born in Sheffield, England. His father, Professor James Kenner, was also a scientist. George went to Didsbury Preparatory School and later to Manchester Grammar School. He studied at Manchester and Cambridge Universities, earning his MSc and PhD degrees. In 1951, he married Jillian Bird, and they had two daughters. He worked at Cambridge University for 15 years. In 1957, he became the first Heath Harrison Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Liverpool. He held this position until 1976.

Amazing Discoveries

George Kenner made many important contributions to organic chemistry. This is a field of science that studies chemicals found in living things.

Gastrin Discovery

In the 1960s, George Kenner and his team at the University of Liverpool made a big discovery. Along with R.A. Gregory and Hilda Tracy, they found and created the peptide hormone called gastrin. A hormone is like a chemical messenger in your body. Gastrin helps your stomach make acid. This acid is important for digesting food.

Building Proteins

Kenner and his group also tried to build a large protein molecule in the lab. This molecule was similar to an enzyme called lysozyme. Enzymes are special proteins that help chemical reactions happen in your body. This lysozyme-like enzyme had 129 amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins.

Their goal was to create the largest protein ever made in a lab at that time. They carefully planned how to put the 129 amino acids together. Kenner's team successfully made the long chain of amino acids. However, the dream of making a fully working lysozyme enzyme took longer. It was finally achieved in 2007 by another scientist, Thomas Durek.

Even though Kenner's team didn't finish the working enzyme, their methods were very important. Their work greatly helped the field of peptide chemistry. This led to new ways to study the immune system and make new medicines.

Awards and Honors

George Kenner's work was recognized with many awards. He received the Meldola Medal in 1951 and the Corday-Morgan Medal in 1957. He also gave special lectures, like the Tilden (1955) and Pedler (1976) lectures. These were for the Chemical Society, where he was also President of the Perkin Division from 1974 to 1976.

In 1974, he was President of Section B of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1964. This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK. He also gave the Royal Society's Bakerian Lecture in 1976.

Kenner Awards at Liverpool

After Professor Kenner passed away, special awards were created in his honor. These awards celebrate his time at the University of Liverpool.

George Kenner Prize

The George Kenner Prize and Lectureship was started in 1979. Money was raised to remember Professor Kenner. People who receive this award give lectures about organic chemistry at the University of Liverpool. Many famous chemists have received this honor. Some of them include Gilbert Stork, Ryoji Noyori, and Jean-Marie Lehn.

George W. Kenner Award

The George W. Kenner Award for graduate students began in 2006. This award is given every year to a top first-year PhD student. It goes to the student in the organic chemistry section who performs best in their studies and research. This award helps remember Kenner's 21 years at the University of Liverpool.