Robert Burns Woodward

Robert Burns Woodward
Robert Burns Woodward
Born	April 10, 1917; Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	July 8, 1979 (aged 62); Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS, PhD)
Known for	Landmark organic syntheses; Molecular structure determination; Vitamin B12 total synthesis; Woodward cis-hydroxylation; Woodward modification; Woodward synthesis; Woodward's rules; Woodward–Doering quinine synthesis; Woodward–Hoffmann rules; Prévost–Woodward reaction;
Awards	Centenary Prize (1951); ForMemRS (1956); William H. Nichols Medal (1956); Davy Medal (1959); National Medal of Science (1964); Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1965); Willard Gibbs Award (1967); Copley Medal (1978);
	Scientific career
Fields	Organic chemistry
Institutions	Harvard University
Thesis	A Synthetic Attack on the Oestrone Problem (1937)
Doctoral advisor	James Flack Norris; Avery Adrian Morton
Doctoral students	Christopher Foote; Ken Houk; Ronald Breslow; Stuart Schreiber; William R. Roush; David M. Lemal;

Robert Burns Woodward ForMemRS HonFRSE (April 10, 1917 – July 8, 1979) was an American organic chemist. He is considered by many to be the preeminent synthetic organic chemist of the twentieth century,^[3] having made many key contributions to the subject, especially in the synthesis of complex natural products and the determination of their molecular structure. He worked closely with Roald Hoffmann on theoretical studies of chemical reactions. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1965.

^ Cite error: The named reference formemrs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Woodward, Robert Burns (1937). A synthetic attack on the oestrone problem (Thesis). MIT. hdl:1721.1/12465.
^ Blout, Elkan (2001). "Robert Burns Woodward 1917–1979" (PDF). Biographical Memoirs. 80. Washington, D.C.: The National Academy Press: 17. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 22, 2025.

[formemrs-1] Cite error: The named reference formemrs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[2] Woodward, Robert Burns (1937). A synthetic attack on the oestrone problem (Thesis). MIT. hdl:1721.1/12465.

[:1-3] Blout, Elkan (2001). "Robert Burns Woodward 1917–1979" (PDF). Biographical Memoirs. 80. Washington, D.C.: The National Academy Press: 17. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 22, 2025.

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