| Citation | Distinguished for his contributions to the chemistry of nucleosides, nucleotides and nucleic acids. He has devised ingenious methods for specific acylation of nucleosides and for protection of functional groups in them. Reese solved the problem of protecting internucleotide phosphodiester groups, and thus he brought to reality the phosphotriester approach to oligonucleotide synthesis. Other contributions to nucleotide chemistry include studies of alkylation of nucleic acids, of conversion of ribonucleosides into 2'-deoxynucleosides and arabinosides, and of the chemistry of the modified nucleosides of transfer ribonucleic acids. Reese has also made significant discoveries in other areas of organic chemistry, for example the photo-Fries reaction, carbene additions and transformations of the adducts, and the use of hindered arenesulphonyl hydrazides. |