Biography of Herbert C. Brown
Professor Herbert C. Brown was born in London, England on May 22, 1912. He came to this country at an early age and received his education in Chicago, receiving the B.S. degree in 1936 and the Ph.D. degree in 1938, both from the University of Chicago. Following a year with Professor M. S. Kharasch as Postdoctorate Fellow, he was appointed to the staff of the University of Chicago with the rank of Instructor. In 1943 he went to Wayne University (Assistant Professor, 1943-1946; Associate Professor, 1946-1947) and in 1947 he moved to Purdue University. He remained on the faculty at Purdue University until his retirement in 1979 and remained research active until his death in December 19, 2004.
At a time when steric hindrance was considered to be "the last refuge of puzzled organic chemists", his studies of molecular addition compounds contributed to the reacceptance of steric effects as a major factor in chemical behavior. His studies on aromatic substitution led to a quantitative theory based on the new Brown δ+ constants. His studies on applications of the borohydrides and diborane to organic synthesis have had revolutionary impact on synthetic organic chemistry. Finally, the new borohydride preparation of active hydrogenation catalysts was discovered in collaboration with his son, Charles A. Brown, and this in turn led to the new simplified Brown procedure for laboratory-scale hydrogenations.
Professor Brown is perhaps best known for his explorations of the role of boron in organic chemistry. He discovered that the simplest compound of boron and hydrogen, diborane, adds with remarkable ease to unsaturated organic molecules to give organoboranes.
(He likes to point out that his parents exhibited remarkable foresight in giving him the initials, H. C. B.)
With organoboranes now
readily available for the first time, he undertook to explore their chemistry.
This chemistry is proving unusually rich. It has led to the development of the
first general asymmetric synthesis of pure enantiomers. 
It is evident that
Professor Herbert C. Brown has discovered a new continent in chemistry, a
continent that will take many years of enthusiastic research effort to explore
in detail and exploit for the good of mankind. This boron research was
recognized in the awarding of the Nobel Prize in 1979.
Professor Brown's awards and honors are numerous. He was the Harrison Howe Lecturer in 1953, the Centenary Lecturer of The Chemical Society (London) in 1955 and the Baker Lecturer in 1969. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1957, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1966 and received an honorary Doctorate of Science degree from the University of Chicago in 1968 and was elected Honorary Fellow of The Chemical Society and Foreign Member of the Indian National Academy of Sciences in 1978. Finally, he is the recipient of the Nichols Medal for 1959, the ACS Award for Creative Research in Synthetic Organic Chemistry for 1960, the Linus Pauling Medal for 1968, the National Medal of Science for 1969, the Roger Adams Medal for 1971, the Charles Frederick Chandler Medal for 1973, the Madison Marshall Award for 1975 and the CCNY Scientific Achievement Award Medal for 1976, the Allied Award for 1978, the Ingold Memorial Lecturer and Medal for 1978, the Elliot Cresson Medal for 1978, the Nobel Prize for 1979, the Priestley Medal for 1981, the Perkin Medal for 1982, the A.I.C. Gold Medal for 1985 and the National Academy of Sciences Award in Chemical Sciences for 1987, the Emperor's Decoration (Japan): Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star for 1989, the Oesper Award (Cincinnati Section ACS) for 1990, and the ACS Herbert C. Brown Medal and Award for Creative Research in Synthetic Methods for 1998, and the ACS Chem. Eng. News selection as one of the Top 75 Chemists Contributing to the High Status of Current Chemistry, (1998).
