reviews A Wandering Natural Products Chemist Koji Nakanishi. J. I. Seeman, Editor. American Chemical Society: Washington, DC. 1991.
This book is one in a series of autobiographies ably edited by Jeffrey Seeman and published-in a n absent-minded way-by the American Chemical Society The series deserves serious review because the authors, all of whom like myself are well-known chemists, have expended considerable effort to explain to generations to follow what is required to bemme a leading authority Much can be learned from these monographs. Many of the monographs, like the currently reviewed book by Nakanishi, make fascinating reading. This book i s also well-written and fully documented with over 150 references, complete with beautiful drawn structures and figures. The volume is strikingly enhanced with mare than 50 photographs, starting with Koji and his family in London in 1933. ~~.and includine various fascinatine shots (for exomplr, Koji at a make jpeciality shop in 1960 and actlng as a n interpreter for Sw Ruben Robtnson in 1953; Nelson Leonard, in a kimono, singing a t a IUPAC meeting). Amost colorful scientist, Nakanishi always bas been one of the modem, Japanese professon who speak and write excellent English. He was barn in Hong Kong in 1925. His father was a Japanese Banker who moved his family to Lyan (France), then to K.) and then to Alexandria (Egypt). In London and in London (U. Alexandria, Koji Nakanishi gained his mastery of the English language when he attended with distinction the local British Schwl for hays. The exile returned to Japan in 1935 and attended school and then Nagoya Imperial University i n 1944. This was a new university, founded in 1941, and it had the usual charisma of the small number of Imperial Universities. The dark days of the war made research difficult. More normal circumstances from 19451950 showed the outstanding abilities of the fledgling Nakanishi. From 1950 to 1952, be spent two years a t Harvard. They were formative years, especially from contact with R. B. Woodward and Gilbert Stork. Nakanishi describes the vibrancy a t Haward in those days working with Louis Fieser most of the hours of the day and night. ARer Harvard, Koji Nakanishi returned to Nagoya before being called to a Chair in Tokyo (Tokyo Kyoiku University). The stay in Tokyo was brief (195&1963) before the acceptance of a new position a t Sendai (1963-1969). Sendai was influenced by the famous doyen of Japanese chemistsT. Nozae whose autobiography, Seuenty Years in Organic Chemistry, is i n this series and is recommended highly. The Sendai ~ e r i o dlasted for six vears before the lure of the Umted State* brramc too great and ~ o j Xakan~shi l moved to Columbia Uni~rrsity,New Ynrk. There he found himself surroundrd l He is still there today. hy n galan. o f e h e m ~ a Lalent. Nakanishi's writing is entertaining, because he interweaves fascinatina and frequently personal reminiscences within the midst of hid scient%w m&tcrPie~es.Some even invulve me! iiakanishi writes, Lln 1960, 1 was sent by the Science Council of Japan to attend rthe IUPAC mreting in Australia.. On the plane ~~~
un the way, I was seated next to a middle-aged person reading a novel, whom I guessed might bea British bankclwk;another passenger in the plan?, I guessed, was a German farmer Th? former was Derek Barton, and the latter was the drstinguwhed German chemist, Hans Hmckmann." Fortunately, Koii is much better at prestigitation than he is a t reading ch&aet& by appearance or age. I was 42 a t the time and didn't consider myself "middle-aged" anymore than I now mnsider myself "old". Nakanishi's presence meetines is almost alwavs acmm~aniedbv a brila t manv maim " liant demonstration ofkaeie. The vol-e is rich'with numerous.~, lively phnulmaphs, ineludmg a numher of Koj~performing magic acts (putting wigs on two Nobelists, Roald Hoffman and Herb l3rown,. Nnknmshi describes, in some detail, his fascination with magic, entertainment and suspense. However, his chemistry is even more magical. Nakanishi re~eatedlvhas isolated bialaeicallv ~e , imoortant eampounds, even when he was not lmkmg for them. Thus, from a collaboratlve a n t i - t u m o r program in 1966 came t h e dterold panasterone Afrom a Podoearpus species that was readily available. The important molting hormones (ecdysteroids, such as eedysone) were a t that time expensive and much in demand. Koji's punasterone A had the same structure as ecdjsone except that one hydroxyl group was in n d~ffcrrntplacr It had srvrn umes the h~nlnmc.4actmtv ofecdvsanr and wasavahblr, ifwanted, i n k ~ i ogram amounts- ore tiIan 70 ecdysteroids are now known. Koji always bas been a master of physical methods. In 1968, he intmduced the C. D. exciton chirality method for the determination of absolute configuration. Koii did not soend all his life workine. " Alcoholic refreshment in the cvrningr, wm necessary for Yr rcpos d u guenier". Among h ~ s drmkmg rampantons, we frnd Sha 1ta and the late Testsqi Kametam, a warrior of great renown. Kojl is critical of the feudal org-anization ofchemistry in Japan. In spite of that, much outstanding research is done there today. If one grafted the efficient Amencan eompet~tivesystem of funding, we should, in the next century perhaps all be writing in Japanese and, in the century a h , in Chinese! Koji emphasizes how the modem natural products chemist has to be multidisciplined if one is to do significant work. Isolation is a so~histieatedart. Structure determination often must be accomplished with minute amounts of biologically important, unstable compounds. Koji emphasizes how important it is to do your own biological tests, especially when the isolation procedure is aimed a t cam~oundswith soecific bioloeical activitv. In such cases. the assay becomes an tntegol p a n of the isuiation procedure. Aguod rxomplr of an interdisciplinary problrm is Kojl's long and difficult struggle uith the retinal proteins ,1971 to date,. The mechamsm of vision is a t the limit of our present comprehension. Many times there is reference to Koji's wife, the enigmatic Yasuko. It would have been interesting if Yasuko could have written the last Coda: a special chapter analyzing Koji. Nonetheless, Koji presents his detailed and frank analysis of Yasuko's analysis of him. For example, "Yasuko does not like for me to perform
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Reviewer Koji Nakanishi, (J. I.Seeman, Editor), A Wandering Natural Derek H. R. Balton Products Chemist Christoph Meineland Hartmot Scholz, Editors, Die Allianz George B. Kauffman von Wissenschaft und lndustrie: August WilhelmHofmann (1818-1892): Zeit, Werk, Wirkung Sidney Harris, Chalk Up Another One: the Best of Sidney Harris George B. Kauffman Laurie M. Kauffman Titles of Interest
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(magic). She says she feels like she is married to a migrating circus entertainer." Koji has accomplished in his life an amount of work that normallv would take about 25 man-lives. He pretends to lead a chaotic fife, hut perhaps the opposite is true. ~Lrtainly,he knows well how to attract, motivate, and inspire able colleagues. An example of this is the Suntory Institute for Bioorganic Research (Suntor) of which Koji has been director since its inception in 1980, but he has now retired. He used to spend one to two weeks for each visit he made and there were four to five visits per annum. So he was mostly an absent director. How did he do such excellent work in two places so far apart? One explanation is superior air transportation and effective communications (including fax). What are the characteristics of great chemists like Koji? Intelligence and dedication and working 14 hours or more a day for up to seven days a week This also means one who must find an unusual kind of wife, who will support a regime where the husband spends most of his time with his mistress (chemistry). The editor of the series, Jeffrey Seeman, intended that the authors should act a s role models for the younger generation of potential chemists. Koji Nakanishi has fulfilled this task admirably.
Derek H. R. Barton Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843
Die Allianz von Wissenschaft und lndustrie: August Wilhelm Hofmann (1818-1892): Zeit, Werk, Wirkung.
MD 20604. $10.95 ($8.75 for MAS members) plus $4 shipping per order. PB. Who has just had his latest bwk published by the prestigious AAAS Press with a foreword hy no less a scientist than 1988 Nobel Physics laureate Leon M. Lederman? Sidney Harris, the Laureate of Laughs, that's who! Af~cionadosof Hams'hysterical humor will welcome this "hest-of-the-best" collection of 146 cartoons from American Scientist, Management Reuiew, Medical Economics, Medical nibme, Medical World News, Priuate Practice, and The Wall Street Journal, which spans his quarter-century career as America's foremost zany observer of the scientific, medical, and academic worlds. For those unfamiliar with Harris' unique brand of drollery, this hook can serve a s an ideal introduction to his lively wit as well as an enjoyable treat. No less than 18 cartwns feature one of his favorite locales, the blackhoard, whence the title. As a case in point, we are treated to Einstein, chalk in hand, on the verge of hispea! discovery, as he ponders the equations E = ma2 and E = mb , whlch he has just crossed out. Humor is a highly individual matter, hut science teachers who use it to enliven their lectures will find in this collection dozens of amusing sketches guaranteed to tickle the funny bone of even the most apathetic student. (Far the use of cartoons in science courses see Flannery, M. C. J. Call. Sci. Teach. 1993,22,239). These eartoms (when photocopied with the publisher's permission) also make attention-getting pasquinades far bulletin hoards or office doors. We heartily recommend this hilarious volume for personal enjoyment or as a perfect gift far student or science teacher alike.
George B. Kauffman and Laurie M. Kauffman CaliforniaState University, Fresno Fresno, CA 93740
Christoph Meineland Hartmut Scholz, Editors. VCH: WeinheimiNew York, 1992. Figs.. iilus., tables. x + 375 pp. 16.7 x 23.9 cm. DM 148.00; $95.00. August Wilhelm von Hofmann founded and became the first president of the Deutsche Chemische GesellschaR, a society patterned on the Chemical Soeietv of London (founded in 1848) and fosterine intended to unite nure and ~ andlied ~ chemist; ~ ~ , ~" c&ner, ~ ,bv ~, ntion hehvrcn nendrmie and mdustrinl rcsrareh. Foundcr of the coal tar industry and one ufthr fuundws ofmudern chen~iitryand of modern chemical industry, he represenred n new type of ehcmistry professor, who created "the alliance of science and industry," the title ofthe book being reviewed. This bilingual volume contains 22 papers (14 in German; eight in Enelish hv histonnns. hwtnnann of rhermstm. and academic and iidustrial chemists presented a t a symposi;k held on May 5-6, 1992, i n Berlin and co-sponsored by the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker, the Humholdt Universitat zu Berlin, and the Royal Society of Chemistry to commemorate the centenary of Hofmann's death. The papers deal with the major aspects of the life, work, and influence of this multifaceted individual. Topics include science, mlture, and industry in Hofmann'a time; Liehig's and Hofmann's impact on British scientific culture; the nature of organic bases and the ammonia type; Hofmann and Heinrich Caro in England: the state of chemistry in Prussia and chemical lab* ratories hefore Hofmann; dyestuffs and structure-color relationships; the academic-industrial alliance in German chemistry; the Liehig and Hofmann schwls a t the Prague universities and the develonment of chemistrv in Bohemia: reform of chemical educatmn in German universities; phosphorus and polymer chemw tncs: "Hofmann reactions" in modern synthetic chemistry: and drug qvnthrsis and mrdionnl chemlarry. ~~~~~~~~
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George B. Kauffman California State University, Fresno Fresno, CA 93740
Chalk Up Another One: The Best of Sidney Harris Sldney Hams AAAS Press Amer can Assoclanon for the Advancement of Sc ence, Washmgton, DC. 1992 20 2 r 20 2 cm Order from MAS Books P 0 Box 753, Dept A69 Wa oolt.
Titles of Interest Group Theory and Chemistry David M. Bishop. Dover Publications: 31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, NY 11501, 1993. xvi + 300 pp. Figs. and tables. 13.9 x 21.5 cm. $8.95 PB. This hook is written for advanced undergraduate-level and
eraduate-level chemistm students as an intradudion to the sub-iect of m u n theorv. " Its a~nlicationsare demonstrated for chemi~
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cal proke&. To assist chemistry students with the mathematice involved, the author has included the relevant mathematics in some detail in appendices to each chapter. The hwk can he read either as an introduction, dealing with general concepts (ignoring the appendices), or as a fairly comprehensive description of the subject (including the appendices).
Communicating in Science: Writing a Scientific Paper and Speaking at Scientific Meetings Vernon Boofh. Cambridge University Press: New York, NY, 1993. xvi + 78 pp. 15.3 x 22.8 cm. $12.95 PB. This short hwk is designed ta help workers in all scientific disciplines to present their results effectively. The fust chapter is about writing a scientific paper. Later chapters discuss the preparation of manuscripts, speaking a t meetings, and writing theses. One chapter is for scientists whose first language is not English. Another is addressed to those in North America. The last chapter gives information a b u t dictionaries, style hwks, and other literature.
Gas Chromatographic Retention Indices of Toxicologically Relevant Substances on Packed or Capillary Columns with Dimethylsilicone Stationary Phases, 3rd Revised and Enlarged Edition Deursche Forsch~ngsgeme8nschaHCommrssron for CbnrcalTor~cologrcalAnalysts V C h hew York h Y 1992 407 pp Fgs anolabes 1 7 9 ~ 2 4 5 c m54500
Volume 70 Number I 2 December 1993
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