Robert E. Ireland (1929 – February 4, 2012) was an American chemist and the Thomas Jefferson Chair Professor of chemistry at the University of Virginia. He is known for his textbook Organic Synthesis[1] and his contributions to the Ireland–Claisen rearrangement chemical reaction.[2][3]

Robert E. Ireland
Born1912
DiedFebruary 4, 2012
Alma materAmherst College (BA)
University of Wisconsin (PhD)
Scientific career
FieldsOrganic chemistry
InstitutionsUniversity of Michigan, California Institute of Technology, University of Virginia
Doctoral advisorWilliam Summer Johnson
Other academic advisorsWilliam Gould Young
Doctoral studentsDavid A. Evans
Other notable studentsPeter Wipf

Academic career

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Ireland earned his A.B. in chemistry in 1951 at Amherst College and earned his Ph.D. in chemistry in 1954 from the University of Wisconsin with William Summer Johnson, and did his postdoctoral work at UCLA with William Gould Young. In 1956, he joined the chemistry department of University of Michigan.[4] In 1965, he became a professor of organic chemistry at the California Institute of Technology. In 1985 he became the director of the Merrell Dow Research Institute in Strasbourg, France. A year later, he became the chair of the chemistry department of University of Virginia.[3][5][6]

Awards and honors

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Personal life

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Ireland was married to wife Margaret and had two sons, Mark and Robert.[3][5]

References

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  1. ^ White, J. D. (May 1970). "Organic Synthesis (Ireland, Robert E.)". Journal of Chemical Education (Book review). 47 (5). American Chemical Society (ACS): A391. doi:10.1021/ed047pa391.1.
  2. ^ McFarland, Christopher M.; McIntosh, Matthias C. (February 2007). "The Ireland–Claisen Rearrangement (1972–2004)". The Claisen Rearrangement: Methods and Applications. Wiley. pp. 117–210. doi:10.1002/9783527610549.ch4. ISBN 9783527610549.
  3. ^ a b c d Ainsworth, Susan (April 16, 2012). "Robert E. Ireland". Chemical & Engineering News. Vol. 90, no. 16. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  4. ^ Marshall, James A. (July 2, 2012). "Robert E. Ireland (1929 – 2012)". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 51 (27): 6564. doi:10.1002/anie.201203366. ISSN 1433-7851.
  5. ^ a b c Snodgrass, Dick. "Robert E. Ireland '51". Amherst Magazine. Amherst College. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  6. ^ Wipf, Peter. "Robert E. Ireland" (PDF). Organic Syntheses. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
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