Sir Ian Morris Heilbron
DSO FRS (6 November 1886 – 14 September 1959) was a Scottish chemist, who pioneered
organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the science, scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clay ...
developed for therapeutic and industrial use.
Early life and education
Heilbron was born in Glasgow on 6 November 1886 to a wine merchant (David Heilbron) and his wife (Fanny Jessel).
He was
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
. He was educated at
Glasgow High School and then the
Royal Technical College with
G. G. Henderson
George Gerald Henderson (30 January 1862 – 28 September 1942) was a chemist and professor at the University of Glasgow. He was known for his work on terpenes.
Life
Henderson was born to a Glasgow merchant in 1862. He entered the University o ...
. Following an award of a Carnegie Fellowship he went to the
University of Leipzig
Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...
to study under
Arthur Rudolf Hantzsch
Arthur Rudolf Hantzsch (7 March 1857 – 14 March 1935) was a German chemist.
Life and work
Hantzsch studied chemistry in Dresden and graduated at the University of Würzburg under Johannes Wislicenus. As a professor, he taught at the Univers ...
for his doctoral thesis (1907–1910).
He was awarded a
Ph.D. He received a
D.Sc. at the
University of Glasgow
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
in 1918 for his Contribution to the Study of
Semi-carbazones''
' and other papers.
Military service
He served in the
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and d ...
(1910–1920). He was awarded a
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typi ...
in 1918 for distinguished service related to operations in
Salonika
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
.
He was also appointed an
Officer of the Order of the Redeemer by the Greek government. He achieved the rank of
Lieutenant Colonel, Assistant Director of Supplies.
During the
Second World War
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
from 1939 to 1942 he worked as a scientific advisor to the Department of Scientific Research in the
Ministry of Supply
The Ministry of Supply (MoS) was a department of the UK government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. A separate ministry, however, was responsible for air ...
. After 1942 he became a scientific advisor to the
Ministry of Production
The Ministry of Production was a British government department created in February 1942, initially under the title Ministry of War Production, but the following month "War" was dropped from the title. Its purpose was to fill a gap in the machinery ...
.
Career
His independent research career focused on the chemistry of
natural product
A natural product is a natural compound or substance produced by a living organism—that is, found in nature. In the broadest sense, natural products include any substance produced by life. Natural products can also be prepared by chemical sy ...
s, including work on
sterol
Sterol is an organic compound with formula , whose molecule is derived from that of gonane by replacement of a hydrogen atom in position 3 by a hydroxyl group. It is therefore an alcohol of gonane. More generally, any compounds that contain the g ...
s,
vitamin D
Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphate, and many other biological effects. In humans, the most important compounds in this group are vitamin D3 ...
,
vitamin A
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin and an essential nutrient for humans. It is a group of organic compounds that includes retinol, retinal (also known as retinaldehyde), retinoic acid, and several provitamin A carotenoids (most notably ...
,
polyene synthesis,
Squalene
Squalene is an organic compound. It is a triterpenoid with the formula C30H50. It is a colourless oil, although impure samples appear yellow. It was originally obtained from shark liver oil (hence its name, as '' Squalus'' is a genus of sharks). ...
,
terpene
Terpenes () are a class of natural products consisting of compounds with the formula (C5H8)n for n > 1. Comprising more than 30,000 compounds, these unsaturated hydrocarbons are produced predominantly by plants, particularly conifers. Terpenes ar ...
s,
pyrylium salts, algal pigments, and
spiropyran A spiropyran is a type of organic chemical compound, known for photochromic properties that provide this molecule with the ability of being used in medical and technological areas. Spiropyrans were discovered in the early twentieth century. However ...
s.
He was also instrumental in the development of
DDT to fight
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or deat ...
and
yellow fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
. Heilbron, with
Cook, also studied the synthesis and structure of
penicillin
Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' moulds, principally '' P. chrysogenum'' and '' P. rubens''. Most penicillins in clinical use are synthesised by P. chrysogenum using ...
.
Appointments
* Lecturer, Royal Technical College, 1909–14
*Scientist, later consultant at
British Dyestuffs Corp. (later renamed
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was a British chemical company. It was, for much of its history, the largest manufacturer in Britain.
It was formed by the merger of four leading British chemical companies in 1926.
Its headquarters were at M ...
)
* Professor of organic chemistry, Royal Technical College, 1919–20
* Professor,
University of Liverpool
, mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning
, established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
, 1920–33 (Heath Harrison Chair of Organic Chemistry)
* Professor,
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The university owns and operates majo ...
, 1933-8 (
Sir Samuel Hall Chair of Chemistry, 1935-8)
* Professor of Organic Chemistry and Director of the Laboratories,
Imperial College
Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cul ...
, 1938–49
*1949: Retired from academic research
* Director,
Brewing Industry Research Foundation
The Brewing Industry Research Foundation is now part of Campden BRI, a research association serving all sectors of the food and drink industry. The Brewing Division is based next to the M23, and the other Divisions are located in Chipping Camp ...
, 1949–58
*Chairman of the
Advisory Council of the Royal Military College of Science
*International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry
*Editor-in-chief of the “Dictionary of Organic Compounds” and
*Chairman of the editorial board of “Thorpe’s Dictionary of Applied Chemistry.”
Notable trainees
While at
University of Liverpool
, mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning
, established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
*
Frank Stuart Spring
Frank Stuart Spring FRS FRSE FRIC (1907–1997) was a 20th-century British organic chemist.
Life
He was born in Great Crosby, Lancashire on 5 September 1907, the fifth of six children of John Spring. He was educated at Waterloo Grammar Scho ...
, graduate student (1930)
While at
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The university owns and operates majo ...
Basil Lythgoe graduate student, (1936)
*
Ewart Ray Herbert Jones, post-doc (1938)
While at
Imperial College
Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cul ...
Stanley H. Harper graduate student (1937)
*
Derek Harold Richard Barton, graduate student (1942)
*
Basil Weedon, graduate student, (1942)
*
Ralph Alexander Raphael, graduate student (1943)
Ernest A. R. Braude graduate student (1944)
John Arthur Elvidge graduate student (1947)
*
Franz Sondheimer, graduate student (1948)
*
Marc Julia, graduate student (1948)
While at
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was a British chemical company. It was, for much of its history, the largest manufacturer in Britain.
It was formed by the merger of four leading British chemical companies in 1926.
Its headquarters were at M ...
Alan Woodworth Johnson research scientist (1946)
Notable collaborators
While at
University of Liverpool
, mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning
, established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
*
Richard Alan Morton
Richard Alan Morton FRS was the Johnston Professor of Biochemistry at University of Liverpool from 1944 until 1966. He was a pioneer in the application of spectroscopy to biological molecules. His research group were the first to identify vitami ...
Awards and honours
* 1911:
Fellow of the Institute of Chemistry (F.I.C.)
* 1931:
Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
* 1939:
Longstaff Medal of the Chemical Society of London
* 1943:
Davy Medal
The Davy Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of London "for an outstandingly important recent discovery in any branch of chemistry". Named after Humphry Davy, the medal is awarded with a monetary gift, initially of £1000 (currently £2000).
H ...
from 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, r ...
''"In recognition of his many notable contributions to organic chemistry, especially to the chemistry of natural products of physiological importance"''
* 1945: The
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...
honored him with its highest prize, 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 ...
. This was the first time the award went to a non-American.
* 1946: In recognition of his work during war he was appointed a
Knight Bachelor
The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are t ...
* 1951:
Royal Medal
The Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal and The King's Medal (depending on the gender of the monarch at the time of the award), is a silver-gilt medal, of which three are awarded each year by the Royal Society, two for "the most important ...
from 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, r ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heilbron, Ian
1959 deaths
1886 births
British chemists
Fellows of the Royal Society
Royal Army Service Corps officers
British Jews
Jewish scientists
Knights Bachelor
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
People educated at the High School of Glasgow
Academics of the University of Liverpool
Academics of the Victoria University of Manchester
Academics of Imperial College London
British Army personnel of World War I
Royal Medal winners
Scientists from Glasgow
Jewish chemists