Harry Anderson (chemist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harry Anderson
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Born |
Harry Laurence Anderson
12 January 1964 |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | Porphyrin Nanorings |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Organic chemistry |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | Model Enzymes Based on Porphyrins (1991) |
| Doctoral advisor | Jeremy Sanders |
| Notable students | Ed Anderson |
Harry Laurence Anderson is a super smart British chemist. He works at the University of Oxford in the Department of Chemistry. He is famous for building tiny, complex structures called 'supramolecular systems.' Think of them like super small LEGO creations! He works with things called 'porphyrin nanorings' and 'nanowires.' He also studies how these tiny structures behave and even helped make a special carbon ring called 'cyclo[18]carbon.' He is a Professor of Chemistry at Keble College, Oxford.
Contents
Education
Harry Anderson studied chemistry at Christ Church, University of Oxford. He earned his first degree there in 1987. Then, he went on to study for his advanced degree at the University of Cambridge. He finished his studies and received his doctoral degree in 1990. His advisor was Jeremy Sanders.
Career and Amazing Discoveries
After his studies, Harry Anderson started his own research. From 1990 to 1993, he was a research fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge. This means he did advanced research after his main studies. He then continued his research in Switzerland at ETH-Zürich from 1993 to 1994.
In 1994, he came back to the University of Oxford. He became a university lecturer in organic chemistry. He also became a tutor at Keble College. By 2004, he was made a full professor of chemistry at the University of Oxford.
Building Tiny Structures
Nature is full of amazing builders! For example, our bodies build proteins using tiny templates. Harry Anderson gets ideas from nature to build his own artificial 'supramolecular systems.' He uses small building blocks called 'porphyrin monomers' or 'oligomers.' He also uses tiny templates of different sizes. This allows him to create 'porphyrin nanoring' systems.
These tiny systems are very good at holding other molecules. This gives scientists new ideas about how things connect in nature.
Vernier Templating
One cool method he uses is called 'Vernier templating.' Imagine you have two gears with different numbers of teeth. When they turn, they only line up perfectly every so often. In chemistry, this means using templates and building blocks that don't perfectly match up. This allows scientists to build much larger molecular systems. These systems can even be as heavy as small proteins! Porphyrin nanoring systems are great examples of this method.
Exploring New Properties
Harry Anderson's work in building these tiny structures has led to many exciting discoveries. He works with scientists from all over the world. They found that these long, connected porphyrin systems have special physical properties. For example, they are very good at moving electrical charge. They also absorb light in unique ways. This gives physicists and photobiologists new materials to study. It also gives them new ideas for their own research.
Honours and Awards
Harry Anderson has received many important awards for his work. These awards show how much his discoveries have helped science.
- 2017 Izatt-Christensen Award (for Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry)
- 2013 Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK.
- 2008 Merck-Karl Pfister Visiting Professor in Organic Chemistry, MIT, USA
- 2006 RSC Industrially-Sponsored Award for Supramolecular Chemistry
- 2003 Royal Society of Chemistry Award for Materials Chemistry
- 2003 Bob Hay Lecturer (Royal Society of Chemistry, Macrocyclic Chemistry)
- 2001 Corday Morgan Medal and Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry
- 1995 Nuffield Foundation Award to Newly Appointed Science Lecturers
- 1993 NATO/SERC Research Fellowship
When he was nominated to be a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2013, they said:
Harry Anderson is known around the world for his smart ideas. He designs and builds amazing supramolecular materials and molecular wires. He has created new ways to design molecules. He also found new ways to build things using templates. This led to materials with special electronic and light-absorbing features. He was one of the first to study connected porphyrin molecules, trapped pi-systems, nanorings, and dyes that absorb two photons. He has worked closely with physicists and photobiologists. Together, they understand how a molecule's structure affects what it can do. His work has given us deep insights into how electrons connect and move in supramolecular systems.
Images for kids
-
An example of a porphyrin nanoring system.
-
Crystal structure of a rotaxane with an α-cyclodextrin macrocycle.
