Costin D. Nenițescu (in some places ''Nenitzescu'' (; 15 July 1902 – 28 July 1970)) was a prominent
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
n
chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
, the son of (lawyer and politician, director of the
National Bank of Romania
The National Bank of Romania (, BNR) is the central bank of Romania and was established in April 1880. Its headquarters are located in the capital city of Bucharest.
The National Bank of Romania is responsible for the issue of the Romanian le ...
and Minister of Industry and Commerce) and Elena Nenițescu, and the nephew of the writer Ioan S. Nenițescu. After completing in 1920 his secondary studies at Gheorghe Lazăr High School, Nenițescu continued his studies at the
Polytechnic Institute
An institute of technology (also referred to as technological university, technical university, university of technology, polytechnic university) is an institution of tertiary education that specializes in engineering, technology, applied science ...
in
Zurich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
and
Ludwig Maximilian University
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke Ludwig IX of Bav ...
in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, where he completed in 1935 his Ph.D. under the direction of
Hans Fischer
Hans Fischer (; 27 July 1881 – 31 March 1945) was a German organic chemist and the recipient of the 1930 Nobel Prize for Chemistry "for his researches into the constitution of haemin and chlorophyll and especially for his synthesis of hae ...
, with thesis regarding the synthesis of degradation products of blood pigments.
Career
Upon returning to Romania, he became a professor at the
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest (UB) () is a public university, public research university in Bucharest, Romania. It was founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princely Academy of Bucharest, P ...
from 1925 to 1935. He studied Friedel–Crafts-like reactions in the series of aliphatic hydrocarbons, the mechanism of the isomerization of cyclobasics, the halogen migration in cycles and chains, reactions induced by carbonium ions, and others. He identified a group of
naphthenic acid
Naphthenic acids (NAs) are mixtures of several cyclopentyl and cyclohexyl carboxylic acids with molecular weights of 120 to well over 700 atomic mass units. The main fractions are carboxylic acids with a carbon backbone of 9 to 20 carbons. McKee e ...
s in Romanian oil. He searched for ways of obtaining
cyclobutadiene
Cyclobutadiene is an organic compound with the formula . It is very reactive owing to its tendency to dimerize. Although the parent compound has not been isolated, some substituted derivatives are robust and a single molecule of cyclobutadiene is ...
, while explaining the chemistry of this unstable substance and isolating its dimers.
His research interests included the oxidation of open-chain and
aromatic hydrocarbons
Aromatic compounds or arenes are organic compounds "with a chemistry typified by benzene" and "cyclically conjugated."
The word "aromatic" originates from the past grouping of molecules based on odor, before their general chemical properties were ...
with
chromic acid
Chromic acid is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is also a jargon for a solution formed by the addition of sulfuric acid to aqueous solutions of dichromate. It consists at least in part of chromium trioxide.
The term "chromic ...
and
chromic oxychloride
Chromyl chloride is an inorganic compound with the formula CrO2Cl2. It is a reddish brown compound that is a volatile liquid at room temperature, which is unusual for transition metal compounds. It is the dichloride of chromic acid.
Preparation
C ...
. He found new methods for the synthesis of
pyrylium salt
Pyrylium is a cation (positive ion) with formula , consisting of a six-membered ring of five carbon atoms, each with one hydrogen atom, and one positively charged oxygen atom. The bonds in the ring are conjugated as in benzene, giving it an arom ...
carbene
In organic chemistry, a carbene is a molecule containing a neutral carbon atom with a Valence (chemistry), valence of two and two unshared valence electrons. The general formula is or where the R represents substituents or hydrogen atoms.
Th ...
s,
tryptamine
Tryptamine is an indolamine metabolite of the essential amino acid tryptophan. The chemical structure is defined by an indole—a fused benzene and pyrrole ring, and a 2-aminoethyl group at the second carbon (third aromatic atom, with the firs ...
,
serotonin
Serotonin (), also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a monoamine neurotransmitter with a wide range of functions in both the central nervous system (CNS) and also peripheral tissues. It is involved in mood, cognition, reward, learning, ...
, two new syntheses for the
indole
Indole is an organic compound with the formula . Indole is classified as an aromatic heterocycle. It has a bicyclic structure, consisting of a six-membered benzene ring fused to a five-membered pyrrole ring. Indoles are derivatives of indole ...
nucleus, and a new method of
polymerisation
In polymer chemistry, polymerization (American English), or polymerisation (British English), is a process of reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form polymer chains or three-dimensional networks. There are many form ...
of
ethylene
Ethylene (IUPAC name: ethene) is a hydrocarbon which has the formula or . It is a colourless, flammable gas with a faint "sweet and musky" odour when pure. It is the simplest alkene (a hydrocarbon with carbon–carbon bond, carbon–carbon doub ...
.
His research was substantiated in more than 200 papers. His remarkable technical and scientific activity helped develop the chemical industry in Romania. A preferred quote is:
"To be able to convey science you have to be yourself a creative scientist, or at least you should strive to be".
Nenițescu was elected corresponding member of the Romanian Academy in 1945 and a titular member in 1955. In 1969, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for discovering two new syntheses for the indolenucleus, and a new method of polymerisation of ethylene".
Personal life and legacy
He was married to (1909–2000). A student of his, she obtained her Ph.D. in chemistry in 1936, became a professor at Politehnica University, and was elected titular member of the Romanian Academy in 1974. The family lived in a house located at 8, Strada Școalei, in central Bucharest. Built by his father in 1908 in the Romanian Revival style, the house was declared a
historic monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...
in 2010, but was abandoned soon after and caught fire in 2016.
He died in
Bușteni
Bușteni () is a small mountain town in the north of Prahova County, Muntenia, Romania. It is located in the Prahova Valley, at the bottom of the Bucegi Mountains, that have a maximum altitude of . Its name literally means Logging, tree-logs in Ro ...
at age 68 and was buried at
Bellu Cemetery
Șerban Vodă Cemetery (commonly known as Bellu Cemetery) is the largest and most famous cemetery in Bucharest, Romania.
It is located on a plot of land donated to the local administration by Baron Barbu Bellu. It has been in use since 1858. T ...
in Bucharest. In his honor, the chemistry contest "C.D. Nenițescu" is organized yearly at the
Polytechnic University of Bucharest
Politehnica University of Bucharest () is a technical university in Bucharest, Romania founded in 1818.Pitești
Pitești () is a city in Romania, located on the river Argeș (river), Argeș. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in th ...
bears his name. A street in Sector 6 of Bucharest is also named after him.
Works
*
*
*
* ''Organic Chemistry'' (2 volumes; 1st print was in 1928; the 6th print was published in 1965)
* ''General Chemistry'' (2nd print was published in 1963).