Ian Fleming (chemist) facts for kids
Ian Fleming (born 1935) is a brilliant English chemist. He is also a retired professor at the University of Cambridge and a retired fellow at Pembroke College, Cambridge.
In 1967, he was the first person to figure out the complete structure of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the green stuff that helps plants make their own food. He also helped create vitamin B12 in the lab with another famous scientist, Robert Burns Woodward.
Professor Fleming found new ways to use special silicon compounds to build molecules very precisely. These methods have helped make natural substances in the lab. He has also written many important books and articles about chemistry.
Early Life and Education
Ian Fleming was born on August 4, 1935. He grew up in a place called Stourbridge in England. He studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He earned his first degree in 1959 and his Ph.D. (a higher degree) in 1962.
After that, he went to Harvard University in the United States. There, he worked with R.B. Woodward to make vitamin B12 in the lab.
Contributions to Chemistry
Professor Fleming has made big steps in how we build molecules. He found new ways to put atoms together to create specific shapes. This field is called stereochemistry. He also led the way in using organosilicon chemistry. This means using compounds that contain silicon and carbon. These methods are very useful for making chiral molecules. Chiral molecules are like your hands; they are mirror images but cannot be perfectly placed on top of each other.
He has written over 200 scientific papers. He also helped write a big chemistry encyclopedia called "Comprehensive Organic Chemistry." Many of his articles have been very important to other chemists. He has also written popular textbooks for university students. These books teach about how to figure out what molecules look like, how to make new chemicals, and how to use special theories in chemistry.
Awards and Recognition
Professor Fleming has received several important awards for his work:
- 1981 Tilden lectureship of the Royal Society of Chemistry
- 1983 Prize for Organic Synthesis
- 1993 Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
