José Elguero Bertolini facts for kids

José Elguero Bertolini, born in 1934, is a famous Spanish chemist. He is known for his important work in a special area of chemistry called heterocyclic chemistry. He works as an Honorary Research Professor at the Medicinal Chemistry Institute, which is part of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). He even led the CSIC for a short time from 1983 to 1984. Since 2015, he has been the president of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences.

José Elguero Bertolini, a well-known Spanish chemist.

His Life and Career

José Elguero was born on Christmas Day in 1934 in Madrid, Spain. He studied chemistry at the Central University in Madrid, which is now called the University Complutense of Madrid, and got his first degree in 1957.

After finishing his studies in Spain, he decided to move to France to continue learning. He joined Professor Robert Jacquier's team at the University of Montpellier and earned his PhD in 1961. Later, he also received another doctorate from the University Complutense of Madrid in 1977.

He worked as a researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in France for over 20 years. He spent time in Montpellier and Marseille, working in different laboratories. He also visited Professor Alan R. Katritzky's lab in England.

In 1980, José Elguero returned to Spain. He became a Research Professor at the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) in Madrid. He continued his important work there and was named Honorary Research Professor in 2005.

Throughout his career, he has held many important leadership roles. He was the President of CSIC from 1983 to 1984. He also led the Social Council of the Autonomous University of Madrid and the Scientific Advisory Board of Comunidad de Madrid. From 2008 to 2010, he was the President of the Forum Foro Permanente Química y Sociedad. José Elguero is thought to be one of the most productive Spanish scientists, having written more than 1500 scientific papers. He also shares his ideas about science and the world in many articles and interviews.

His Work in Chemistry

José Elguero has made many important contributions to chemistry. He often worked with scientists from different fields, which helped him explore many areas.

• Heterocyclic Chemistry: This is a major area of his work. He studied how molecules change their forms (called tautomerism), how they stick together (hydrogen bonding), and how stable they are (aromaticity). He looked at many different types of molecules, including azoles.
• Physical Chemistry: He used special tools like NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) to study how molecules behave. He also used computers to understand the shapes and reactions of molecules.
• Crystallography: He was involved in studies that looked at how atoms are arranged in crystals. This helps in designing new materials.
• Synthetic Chemistry: He helped develop new ways to make chemical compounds. This included methods like phase-transfer catalysis and using light (photochemistry) or heat (flash pyrolysis) to create reactions. He also worked on making chemical processes more efficient.
• Other Areas: He was interested in how sound waves (sonochemistry) and microwaves (microwave chemistry) can affect chemical reactions in solids and gases.
• Medicinal Chemistry: He used mathematical methods to design new medicines. These methods help predict how well a compound will work to treat different diseases.

Books He Wrote

José Elguero is a co-author of an important book about heterocyclic chemistry:

• The Tautomerism of Heterocycles. Advances in Heterocyclic Chemistry-Supplement 1, 1976.

See also

In Spanish: José Elguero Bertolini para niños