Frank Henry Westheimer
NAS
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
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** Nas Air ( ...
ForMemRS
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathematics ...
APS (January 15, 1912 – April 14, 2007) was an American
chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...
. He taught at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
from 1936 to 1954, and at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
from 1953 to 1983, becoming the Morris Loeb Professor of Chemistry in 1960, and Professor Emeritus in 1983.
The Westheimer medal was established in his honor in 2002.
Westheimer did pioneering work in
physical organic chemistry
Physical organic chemistry, a term coined by Louis Hammett in 1940, refers to a discipline of organic chemistry that focuses on the relationship between chemical structures and reactivity, in particular, applying experimental tools of physical ch ...
,
applying techniques from physical to organic chemistry and integrating the two fields.
He explored the mechanisms of chemical and enzymatic reactions,
and made fundamental theoretical advances.
Westheimer worked with
John Gamble Kirkwood
John "Jack" Gamble Kirkwood (May 30, 1907, Gotebo, Oklahoma – August 9, 1959, New Haven, Connecticut) was a noted chemist and physicist, holding faculty positions at Cornell University, the University of Chicago, California Institute of Technol ...
on the
Bjerrum electrostatic analysis of
carboxylic acids
In organic chemistry, a carboxylic acid is an organic acid that contains a carboxyl group () attached to an R-group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is or , with R referring to the alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, or other group. Carboxylic ...
;
with
Joseph Edward Mayer Joseph Edward Mayer (February 5, 1904, New York City – October 15, 1983) was a chemist who formulated the Mayer expansion in statistical field theory.
He was professor of chemistry at the University of California San Diego from 1960 to 1972, and ...
on the calculation of
molecular mechanics
Molecular mechanics uses classical mechanics to model molecular systems. The Born–Oppenheimer approximation is assumed valid and the potential energy of all systems is calculated as a function of the nuclear coordinates using force fields. Mo ...
;
explored the mechanisms of
enzyme catalysis
Enzyme catalysis is the increase in the rate of a process by a biological molecule, an "enzyme". Most enzymes are proteins, and most such processes are chemical reactions. Within the enzyme, generally catalysis occurs at a localized site, calle ...
with
Birgit Vennesland
Birgit Vennesland (17 November 1913 — 15 October 2001) was a Norwegian-American biochemist. Vennesland spent the majority of her career as an academic for the University of Chicago from 1941 to 1968. While at Chicago, she compared the enzymes th ...
and determined the mechanisms of
chromic acid
The term chromic acid is usually used for a mixture made by adding concentrated sulfuric acid to a dichromate, which may contain a variety of compounds, including solid chromium trioxide. This kind of chromic acid may be used as a cleaning mixt ...
oxidations and
kinetic isotope effect
In physical organic chemistry, a kinetic isotope effect (KIE) is the change in the reaction rate of a chemical reaction when one of the atoms in the reactants is replaced by one of its isotopes. Formally, it is the ratio of rate constants for th ...
s.
He received the
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social scienc ...
in 1986 "For his series of extraordinary, original and penetrating investigations of the mechanisms of organic and enzymic reactions, which have played an unequaled role in the advancement of our knowledge of the ways in which chemical and biochemical processes proceed."
Early life and education
Frank Henry Westheimer was born on January 15, 1912, to Henry F. Westheimer (1870–1960) and Carrie C (Burgunder) Westheimer (1887–1972) of
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
.
He graduated from
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...
in 1932. He went on to
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, where he earned his masters in chemistry in 1933 and his doctorate in chemistry in 1935.
Westheimer came to Harvard hoping to do research with
James Bryant Conant
James Bryant Conant (March 26, 1893 – February 11, 1978) was an American chemist, a transformative President of Harvard University, and the first U.S. Ambassador to West Germany. Conant obtained a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard in 1916 ...
. When told that Conant would not take on new students, Westheimer outwaited him and was finally accepted as his last graduate student.
Westheimer did some work on
semicarbazone
In organic chemistry, a semicarbazone is a derivative of imines formed by a condensation reaction between a ketone or aldehyde and semicarbazide. They are classified as imine derivatives because they are formed from the reaction of an aldehyde or ...
at Conant's suggestion.
Conant also suggested that Westheimer work during the summer with Alsoph Corwin at
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...
. By doing
porphyrin
Porphyrins ( ) are a group of heterocyclic macrocycle organic compounds, composed of four modified pyrrole subunits interconnected at their α carbon atoms via methine bridges (=CH−). The parent of porphyrin is porphine, a rare chemical com ...
synthesis with Corwin, Westheimer gained needed laboratory experience.
In 1933, Conant became president of Harvard in 1933 and ceased doing research. Nonetheless, Conant's interactions with Westheimer had a lasting effect,
impressing Westheimer with the need "to do important things".
Westheimer completed his Ph.D. with E.P. Kohler. Although Westheimer described Kohler's organic chemistry class as "marvelous",
Kohler gave Westheimer little direction or feedback about his research, which was largely self-directed. Another of Kohler's students,
Max Tishler
Max Tishler (October 30, 1906 – March 18, 1989) was president of Merck Sharp and Dohme Research Laboratories where he led the research teams that synthesized ascorbic acid, riboflavin, cortisone, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, nicotinamide, ...
, expanded upon some of Westheimer's research, leading to a co-publication on the derivation of a furanol.
In 1935 and 1936, as a
National Research Council Fellow, Westheimer worked with physical chemist
Louis P. Hammett at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. Hammett was a founder of the field of
physical organic chemistry
Physical organic chemistry, a term coined by Louis Hammett in 1940, refers to a discipline of organic chemistry that focuses on the relationship between chemical structures and reactivity, in particular, applying experimental tools of physical ch ...
.
Career
Westheimer taught at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
from 1936 to 1954, and at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
from 1953 to 1983.
He served as Chairman of the chemistry department at Harvard from 1959 to 1962.
He became the Morris Loeb Professor of Chemistry at Harvard in 1960. He retired from teaching to become Professor Emeritus in 1983, and retired from research in 1988.
University of Chicago
Westheimer's first academic appointment was an independent Research Associateship at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
, from 1936 to 1937. He became an instructor in 1937 and a Professor in 1948.
As a lecturer in chemistry he taught the university's first course in physical organic chemistry.
During Westheimer's second year at Chicago,
John Gamble Kirkwood
John "Jack" Gamble Kirkwood (May 30, 1907, Gotebo, Oklahoma – August 9, 1959, New Haven, Connecticut) was a noted chemist and physicist, holding faculty positions at Cornell University, the University of Chicago, California Institute of Technol ...
taught there. Westheimer worked with Kirkwood on problems in organic chemistry involving
electrostatics
Electrostatics is a branch of physics that studies electric charges at rest (static electricity).
Since classical times, it has been known that some materials, such as amber, attract lightweight particles after rubbing. The Greek word for amber ...
. Westheimer related electrostatics to their effects on the properties of organic compounds.
Kirkwood and Westheimer published four classical papers developing fundamental ideas in enzymology about the theory of the electrostatic influence of substituents on the dissociation constants of organic acids.
They developed a
Bjerrum electrostatic analysis of
carboxylic acids
In organic chemistry, a carboxylic acid is an organic acid that contains a carboxyl group () attached to an R-group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is or , with R referring to the alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, or other group. Carboxylic ...
.
Their Kirkwood-Westheimer model for an ellipsoid cavity reconciles the work of
Niels Bjerrum
Niels Janniksen Bjerrum (11 March 1879 in Copenhagen – 30 September 1958) was a Danish chemist.
Niels Bjerrum was the son of ophthalmologist Jannik Petersen Bjerrum, and started to study at University of Copenhagen in 1897. He received his ...
on dibasic acids with that of
Arnold Eucken
Arnold Thomas Eucken (3 July 1884 – 16 June 1950) was a German chemist and physicist. He examined the energy states of the Hydrogen atom and contributed to knowledge of the atomic structure. He also contributed to chemical engineering and proce ...
on dipole substituted acids, showing that they could coexist in the same physical world.
Elaborations and fuller testing of their ideas have required forty years and the development of computers.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, from 1943 to 1945, Westheimer worked for the
National Defense Research Committee
The National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) was an organization created "to coordinate, supervise, and conduct scientific research on the problems underlying the development, production, and use of mechanisms and devices of warfare" in the Un ...
.
He was a supervisor at the Explosives Research Laboratory in
Bruceton, Pennsylvania
Bruceton is an unincorporated suburb of Pittsburgh within Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Greater Pittsburgh metropolitan region. Its western half is part of South Park Township and its eastern half is part of Je ...
.
He did research on
nitric acid
Nitric acid is the inorganic compound with the formula . It is a highly corrosive mineral acid. The compound is colorless, but older samples tend to be yellow cast due to decomposition into oxides of nitrogen. Most commercially available nitri ...
, discovering a new acidity function for
nitration
In organic chemistry, nitration is a general class of chemical processes for the introduction of a nitro group into an organic compound. The term also is applied incorrectly to the different process of forming nitrate esters between alcohols and ...
reactions. He hesitated to discuss his work on the triphenyl carbinol series with physical chemists because of the secrecy requirements of the project. Other researchers such as
Christopher Ingold
Sir Christopher Kelk Ingold (28 October 1893 – 8 December 1970) was a British chemist based in Leeds and London. His groundbreaking work in the 1920s and 1930s on reaction mechanisms and the electronic structure of organic compounds was resp ...
were first to publish in the area.
Westheimer was also influenced by the development of
statistical mechanics
In physics, statistical mechanics is a mathematical framework that applies statistical methods and probability theory to large assemblies of microscopic entities. It does not assume or postulate any natural laws, but explains the macroscopic be ...
by physicists
Joseph Edward Mayer Joseph Edward Mayer (February 5, 1904, New York City – October 15, 1983) was a chemist who formulated the Mayer expansion in statistical field theory.
He was professor of chemistry at the University of California San Diego from 1960 to 1972, and ...
and
Maria Goeppert-Mayer
Maria Goeppert Mayer (; June 28, 1906 – February 20, 1972) was a German-born American theoretical physicist, and Nobel laureate in Physics for proposing the nuclear shell model of the atomic nucleus
The atomic nucleus is the small, dense ...
, who moved to the University of Chicago in 1945. Westheimer applied the principles of statistical mechanics to the structure of organic molecules, to better understand the ways in which molecules are assembled from atoms. Westheimer first consulted Mayer about applying techniques from statistical mechanics to the racemization of optically active biphenyls. All of his calculations were worked out by hand.
The work became a model for studies of other elements and is considered foundational.
The field of
molecular mechanics
Molecular mechanics uses classical mechanics to model molecular systems. The Born–Oppenheimer approximation is assumed valid and the potential energy of all systems is calculated as a function of the nuclear coordinates using force fields. Mo ...
, as it is now known, has wide applications.
In 1943, Westheimer began publishing on the mechanisms of chromic acid oxidations, publishing a "masterly
review" of the area in 1949.
In 1950, University of Chicago biochemist
Birgit Vennesland
Birgit Vennesland (17 November 1913 — 15 October 2001) was a Norwegian-American biochemist. Vennesland spent the majority of her career as an academic for the University of Chicago from 1941 to 1968. While at Chicago, she compared the enzymes th ...
approached Westheimer about a project she and her student Harvey Fisher were doing, involving isotopes in enzyme reactions. Vennesland had developed a project involving the fate of hydrogen atoms in
alcohol dehydrogenase
Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH) () are a group of dehydrogenase enzymes that occur in many organisms and facilitate the interconversion between alcohols and aldehydes or ketones with the reduction of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) to N ...
. Vennesland and Fisher's results were puzzling in that a specific hydrogen in the pair at C1 in ethanol appeared to be uniquely reactive in the presence of the enzyme. Westheimer joined the project and helped develop an explanation based on the idea of
enantiotopicity to explain how the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase removed hydrogen from the alcohol molecule, enabling the body to metabolize alcohol.
The researchers published two classic papers in 1953, "the first demonstration of the enzymatic discrimination between the two enantiotopic hydrogen atoms on the methylene carbon atom of ethanol."
The phenomenon they reported was not named enantiospecificity until much later.
Westheimer designed additional experiments that proved their initial conjecture and established the isotope-based
chirality
Chirality is a property of asymmetry important in several branches of science. The word ''chirality'' is derived from the Greek (''kheir''), "hand", a familiar chiral object.
An object or a system is ''chiral'' if it is distinguishable from ...
of enzymes. This work was essential to understanding
topicity, the enantiotopic and diastereotopic relationships between groups (or atoms) within molecules.
In 2006, their 1953 paper (part I) received a Citation for Chemical Breakthrough Award from the Division of the History of Chemistry of the American Chemical Society.
Harvard University
In 1953, soon after completing the work on alcohol dehydrogenase, Westheimer moved to
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
. He continued his interest in reaction mechanisms, isotopes and oxidation. In 1955, Westheimer published the first of many articles on the chemistry of phosphate esters and phosphorus derivatives.
He proposed that ATP transfers phosphate through a reactive monomeric metaphosphate species. While this did not turn out to be the literal case, many enzymic reactions do proceed through transition states that have this as a significant component.
In a 1961 article, Westheimer applied ideas from statistical mechanics to the effects of isotopic substitution on the reactivity of organic molecules.
His work on the magnitude of
kinetic isotope effect
In physical organic chemistry, a kinetic isotope effect (KIE) is the change in the reaction rate of a chemical reaction when one of the atoms in the reactants is replaced by one of its isotopes. Formally, it is the ratio of rate constants for th ...
s (KIEs) is still the basis of understanding in the field.
Transition state structure's dependence on the kinetic isotope effect is known as the Westheimer Effect.
The standard nontunnelling approach to KIEs is developed from Westheimer
and
Lars Melander.
The Melander-Westheimer postulate has successfully predicted the ways in which KIEs and transition state (TS) structures vary.
Westheimer introduced the idea of
photoaffinity labeling Photoaffinity labeling is a chemoproteomics technique used to attach "labels" to the active site of a large molecule, especially a protein. The "label" attaches to the molecule loosely and reversibly, and has an inactive site which can be converted ...
of the active site of proteins.
The identification of the "active sites" of an enzyme is difficult in cases where proteins have hydrocarbon-rich sites.
In 1962, Westheimer and others demonstrated the synthesis of p-nitrophenyl diazoacetate and the subsequent
acylation
In chemistry, acylation (or alkanoylation) is the chemical reaction in which an acyl group () is added to a compound. The compound providing the acyl group is called the acylating agent.
Because they form a strong electrophile when treated with ...
of
chymotrypsin
Chymotrypsin (, chymotrypsins A and B, alpha-chymar ophth, avazyme, chymar, chymotest, enzeon, quimar, quimotrase, alpha-chymar, alpha-chymotrypsin A, alpha-chymotrypsin) is a digestive enzyme component of pancreatic juice acting in the duodenu ...
to form diazoacetylchymotrypsin, which was then photolyzed. The introduction of an aliphatic
diazo
The diazo group is an organic moiety consisting of two linked nitrogen atoms ( azo) at the terminal position. Overall charge neutral organic compounds containing the diazo group bound to a carbon atom are called diazo compounds or diazoalkanes ...
group into a bifunctional reagent enabled it to react with the enzyme. The photolabel generated a reactive carbenoid species capable of inserting into hydrocarbon C-H bonds.
Westheimer also approached the reactions of phosphate transfer through mechanisms that involve five-coordinate intermediates. In 1968, Westheimer examined pseudorotation in phosphate ester chemistry
and predicted the occurrence of pseudo-rotation of oxyphosphoranes.
He showed the significance of this route and the importance of stereochemical rearrangements of the intermediates.
Westheimer developed a set of guidelines, based on experimental observations, also known as Westheimer's rules. They have been widely used for describing and predicting the products and stereochemistry of substitution reactions involving phosphorus.
Westheimer's 1987 paper in ''
Science
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
'', "Why nature chose phosphates", discusses the importance of phosphates as signaling and building blocks for living organisms. Phosphates possess a value of
pKa
PKA may refer to:
* Professionally known as:
** Pen name
** Stage persona
* p''K''a, the symbol for the acid dissociation constant at logarithmic scale
* Protein kinase A, a class of cAMP-dependent enzymes
* Pi Kappa Alpha, the North-American so ...
that allows them to be doubly ionized at physiological
pH. The singly ionized form in the phosphodiester linkages of nucleic acids resists being hydrolyzed by water, but is not so stable that it won't undergo enzymatic hydrolysis.
This work continues to challenge and inspire researchers studying biological chemistry and reactions in
RNA
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) are nucleic acids. Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydra ...
,
DNA, and
ribozymes
Ribozymes (ribonucleic acid enzymes) are RNA molecules that have the ability to catalyze specific biochemical reactions, including RNA splicing in gene expression, similar to the action of protein enzymes. The 1982 discovery of ribozymes demonst ...
.
Awards and honors
Westheimer became a member of the
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
in 1954,
a member of the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
in 1976, and a foreign member of the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
of London in 1983.
He chaired the National Academy of Sciences Committee for the Survey of Chemistry from 1964 to 1965.
''Chemistry: Opportunities and Needs'', also known as the "Westheimer Report", encouraged the federal government to increase spending on fundamental research in chemistry, to achieve parity with other physical sciences.
It identified biochemistry as a promising and overlooked area for medical and pharmaceutical research.
The report's recommendations were implemented, and it is still considered to be "comprehensive, definitive, and forward-looking".
Westheimer was a member of President
Lyndon Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
's science advisory committee from 1967 to 1970.
Westheimer served on the Council of the
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
for two terms, from 1973 to 1975 and 1976-1978, as well as being a Councillor of the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
(1981-1984), and Secretary of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...
(1985-1990).
As well as emphasizing the need for fundamental research, Westheimer was concerned about other political issues. He argued against wars in Vietnam and Iraq. He was aware of environmental issues, supporting measures to decrease pollution, combat global warming, increase energy conservation, and develop alternative energy sources. He advocated that science needed to be taught in new ways, to better educate nonscientists about scientific issues.
Among Westheimer's many honors
are the
U.S. National Academy Award in Chemical Sciences in 1980,
the Robert A. Welch Foundation Award in 1982,
the Golden Plate Award of the
American Academy of Achievement
The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet o ...
in 1981, the U.S. National Medal of Science in 1986,
the
Priestley Medal
The Priestley Medal is the highest honor conferred by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and is awarded for distinguished service in the field of chemistry. Established in 1922, the award is named after Joseph Priestley, the discoverer of oxygen ...
in 1988;
the Repligen Award for the Chemistry of Biological Processes in 1992;
and the
Nakanishi Prize
The Nakanishi Prize, named after Japanese chemist Koji Nakanishi, is an award in chemistry given alternately by the Chemical Society of Japan and the American Chemical Society.
Purpose
"To recognize and stimulate significant work that exten ...
in 1997.
The Westheimer medal was established in his honor in 2002. The medal is awarded by Harvard University "for distinguished research into the field of chemistry", particularly in the areas of organic and biological chemistry.
Family
Frank H. Westheimer was married in 1937 to Jeanne E. Friedman.
They had two children, Ellen Westheimer and Ruth Susan Westheimer.
References
External links
* McLafferty, Fred W.; Abruña, Héctor D.
A Conversation with Fred W. McLafferty 2006', 90 minute video, for Cornell University.
*
*
*
Obituaries
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Westheimer, Frank
1912 births
2007 deaths
20th-century American chemists
Jewish American scientists
National Medal of Science laureates
Harvard University faculty
Dartmouth College alumni
Foreign Members of the Royal Society
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
20th-century American Jews
21st-century American Jews
Members of the American Philosophical Society