Charles J. Pedersen

Charles John Pedersen
安井 良男
Born(1904-10-03)October 3, 1904
Busan, Korean Empire
DiedOctober 26, 1989(1989-10-26) (aged 85)
Salem, New Jersey, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Dayton, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Known forDiscovery of crown ethers
Development of metal deactivators
AwardsNobel Prize in Chemistry (1987)
Scientific career
FieldsOrganic chemistry
InstitutionsDuPont
Crown ether coordinating a potassium ion

Charles John Pedersen (Japanese: 安井 良男, Yasui Yoshio, October 3, 1904 – October 26, 1989) was an American organic chemist best known for discovering crown ethers and describing methods of synthesizing them during his entire 42-year career as a chemist for DuPont at DuPont Experimental Station in Wilmington, Delaware, and at DuPont's Jackson Laboratory in Deepwater, New Jersey.[1] Often associated with Reed McNeil Izatt, Pedersen also shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1987 with Donald J. Cram and Jean-Marie Lehn. He is the one of three Nobel Prize laureates born in Korea, along with Peace Prize laureate Kim Dae-jung and Literature laureate Han Kang.[2]

Pedersen made many other discoveries in chemistry, such as discovering and developing metal deactivators.[3] His early investigations also led to the development of a dramatically improved process for manufacturing tetraethyl lead, an important gasoline additive.[4] He also contributed to the development of neoprene.[5]

  1. ^ "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1987". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  2. ^ "DJ와 또 한 명 … 노벨위원회엔 '한국 출생 수상자' 2명 기록 [DJ and another ... Nobel committee's record of two Korean-born winners]". Joins.com. October 12, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  3. ^ Schroeder, H. E.; Pedersen, C. J. (1988-01-01). "The productive scientific career of Charles J. Pedersen supplemented by an account of the discovery of 'crown ethers'". Pure and Applied Chemistry. 60 (4): 445–451. doi:10.1351/pac198860040445. ISSN 1365-3075.
  4. ^ "Collection: Charles J. Pedersen papers | Hagley Museum and Library Archives". findingaids.hagley.org. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  5. ^ "CHARLES J. PEDERSEN DIES". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-11-06.