Henry Rapoport
Encyclopedia
Henry Rapoport was an internationally renowned organic chemist
and Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley
. He is widely recognized for his work in the development of the chemical synthesis of biologically important compounds and pharmaceuticals.
Henry Rapoport obtained a B.S. in chemistry in 1940, an M.S. in chemistry in 1941, and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1943, each from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. He then worked at Heyden Chemical Corporation and the National Institutes of Health
for several years. In 1946, he became a professor at UC Berkeley where he remained for the rest of his career. In 1989, he retired but continued his research as professor emeritus
until his death from pneumonia in 2002.
He was particularly noted for the total synthesis of heterocyclic drugs and natural product
s, including porphyrin
s, camptothecin
, saxitoxin
, psoralen
s, antibiotics, antitumor compounds, and opium
alkaloid
s such as morphine
, codeine
, and hydromorphone
. His research led to the publication over 400 papers and 33 patents. His discoveries were the scientific foundation for numerous companies that Rapoport helped to start including HRI Research, HRI Associates, Advanced Genetics Research Institute, Cerus Corporation, ChemQuip, and Oncologic.
In his honor, UC Berkeley has established the Henry Rapoport Endowed Chair in Organic Chemistry, currently held by Jean Frechet
.
Daniel E. Levy dedicated his recent book, "Arrow Pushing in Organic Chemistry: An Easy Approach to Understanding Reaction Mechanisms" to Henry Rapoport.
1972 Research Achievement Award in Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry from the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences
1985 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award from the American Chemical Society
1988 Ernest Guenther Award in the Chemistry of Natural Products from the American Chemical Society
1989 Distinguished Hope Scholar Award from Hope College
1992 Research Achievement Award from the American Society of Pharmacognosy
1997 Berkeley Citation from the University of California
Organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-based compounds, hydrocarbons, and their derivatives...
and Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. He is widely recognized for his work in the development of the chemical synthesis of biologically important compounds and pharmaceuticals.
Henry Rapoport obtained a B.S. in chemistry in 1940, an M.S. in chemistry in 1941, and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1943, each from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. He then worked at Heyden Chemical Corporation and the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
for several years. In 1946, he became a professor at UC Berkeley where he remained for the rest of his career. In 1989, he retired but continued his research as professor emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
until his death from pneumonia in 2002.
He was particularly noted for the total synthesis of heterocyclic drugs and natural product
Natural product
A natural product is a chemical compound or substance produced by a living organism - found in nature that usually has a pharmacological or biological activity for use in pharmaceutical drug discovery and drug design...
s, including porphyrin
Porphyrin
Porphyrins are a group of organic compounds, many naturally occurring. One of the best-known porphyrins is heme, the pigment in red blood cells; heme is a cofactor of the protein hemoglobin. Porphyrins are heterocyclic macrocycles composed of four modified pyrrole subunits interconnected at...
s, camptothecin
Camptothecin
Camptothecin is a cytotoxic quinoline alkaloid which inhibits the DNA enzyme topoisomerase I . It was discovered in 1966 by M. E. Wall and M. C. Wani in systematic screening of natural products for anticancer drugs. It was isolated from the bark and stem of Camptotheca acuminata , a tree native to...
, saxitoxin
Saxitoxin
Saxitoxin is a neurotoxin naturally produced by certain species of marine dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria Saxitoxin (STX) is a neurotoxin naturally produced by certain species of marine dinoflagellates (Alexandrium sp., Gymnodinium sp., Pyrodinium sp.) and cyanobacteria Saxitoxin (STX) is a...
, psoralen
Psoralen
Psoralen is the parent compound in a family of natural products known as furocoumarins. It is structurally related to coumarin by the addition of a fused furan ring, and may be considered as a derivative of umbelliferone...
s, antibiotics, antitumor compounds, and opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
alkaloid
Alkaloid
Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...
s such as morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
, codeine
Codeine
Codeine or 3-methylmorphine is an opiate used for its analgesic, antitussive, and antidiarrheal properties...
, and hydromorphone
Hydromorphone
Hydromorphone, a more common synonym for dihydromorphinone, commonly a hydrochloride is a very potent centrally-acting analgesic drug of the opioid class. It is a derivative of morphine, to be specific, a hydrogenated ketone thereof and, therefore, a semi-synthetic drug...
. His research led to the publication over 400 papers and 33 patents. His discoveries were the scientific foundation for numerous companies that Rapoport helped to start including HRI Research, HRI Associates, Advanced Genetics Research Institute, Cerus Corporation, ChemQuip, and Oncologic.
In his honor, UC Berkeley has established the Henry Rapoport Endowed Chair in Organic Chemistry, currently held by Jean Frechet
Jean Frechet
Professor Jean M.J. Fréchet is the Henry Rapoport Chair of Organic Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley...
.
Daniel E. Levy dedicated his recent book, "Arrow Pushing in Organic Chemistry: An Easy Approach to Understanding Reaction Mechanisms" to Henry Rapoport.
Major awards
1955 Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
1972 Research Achievement Award in Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry from the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences
1985 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award from the American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society 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 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
1988 Ernest Guenther Award in the Chemistry of Natural Products from the American Chemical Society
1989 Distinguished Hope Scholar Award from Hope College
Hope College
Hope College is a medium-sized , private, residential liberal arts college located in downtown Holland, Michigan, a few miles from Lake Michigan. It was opened in 1851 as the Pioneer School by Dutch immigrants four years after the community was first settled...
1992 Research Achievement Award from the American Society of Pharmacognosy
American Society of Pharmacognosy
The American Society of Pharmacognosy is a scientific society that promotes the growth and development of pharmacognosy through presentation of research achievements and publication of meritorious research....
1997 Berkeley Citation from the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...