An Appreciation of the Scientific Life and Acheivements of Bruce Merrifield
Bruce Merrifield's scientific biography, 'Life During a Golden Age of Peptide Chemistry: The Concept and Development of Solid-Phase Peptide Synthesis', provides a history of solid phase-peptide synthesis (SPPS) from 1959 to 1993 [1]. While many readers will be familiar with SPPS literature after 1963, the inclusion of unpublished material from Merrifield's early laboratory notebooks opens a fascinating window on the development of SPPS from the formulation of concept in 1959 (p. 56, ref. 1) to the synthesis of a tetrapeptide four years later [2]. This early period was characterized by slow progress interrupted by numerous setbacks that led Bruce to later record (p. 90, ref. 1): 'At the end of the first two years the results were so poor, I wonder what made me think that this approach would ever succeed; but from the outset I had a strong conviction that this was a good idea, and I am glad that I stayed with it long enough'. Garland Marshall, Bruce's first graduate student (1963-1966), as well as later colleagues, were essentially unaware of the many highways, byways and dead ends that Bruce had explored in the early years [3].
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 920495
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-PROC-231884; TRN: US200818%%677
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Presented at: An Appreciation of the Scientific Life and Acheivements of Bruce Merrifield, Montreal, Canada, Jun 26 - Jun 30, 2007
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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