An Appreciation of the Scientific Life and Acheivements of Bruce Merrifield

Conference · Fri Jun 15 04:00:00 EDT 2007

OSTI ID:920495

Mitchell, R

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 While many readers will be familiar with SPPS literature after 1963, the inclusion of unpublished material from Merrifield's early laboratory notebooks opens a fascinating window on the development of SPPS from the formulation of concept in 1959 (p. 56,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 Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 920495
• Report Number(s): UCRL-PROC-231884
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
CHEMISTRY
PEPTIDES
SYNTHESIS
WINDOWS