| RefNo | EC/1971/29 |
| Previous numbers | Cert XIX, 29 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Weedon, Basil Charles Leicester: certificate of election to the Royal Society |
| Description | Citation typed |
| Citation | Distinguished for his contributions to organic chemistry. His solution of the long outstanding problem of the structure of fucoxanthin, the most abundant natural carotenoid, and that of neoxanthin, one of the most widespread, revealed the first natural allenic terpenes; he has also discovered that a number of carotenoids have acetylenic structures. His proof of the structures of phytoene, phytofluene, zeta-carotene, and neurosporene shows the general pathway by which carotenoids are formed from the initial C-40 precursor. His pioneer work on the absolute configuration of carorenoids covers most of the major xanthophylls. He was responsible for the first total synthesis of a xanthophylls (methyl bixin), and has since synthesised astaxanthin (the chief prosthetic group of the caroteno-proteins), violerythrin, canthaxanthin, capsorubin, delta-carotene, and the aromatic carotenoids, the characteristic pigments of photosynthetic bacteria, and the naturally occurring hydrolycopenes. His studies on anodic syntheses have done much to stimulate the current widespread interest in electro-organic chemistry. He has also made notable contributions to the chemistry of fatty-acids, cyclopropanes, acetylenes, and polyenes. |
| AccessStatus | Open |
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Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA4057 | Weedon; Basil Charles Leicester (1923 - 2003) | 1923 - 2003 |