Gibbs Medal
Calvin honored for diverse achievements Friends of Dr. Melvin Calvin, the 1977 winner of the Willard Gibbs Medal, say that his curiosity is insatiable. "He can ask more questions in five minutes than most people can answer in a whole career." The questions, and a string of good answers, have brought Calvin a steady stream of honors and awards. Calvin, who directs the Laboratory of Chemical Biodynamics at the University of California, Berkeley, this week receives the Gibbs Medal. Presented by the Chicago Section of the American Chemical Society, the award "publicly recognizes eminent chemists who have brought to the world developments that enable everyone to live more comfortably and to understand this world better." In particular, the interdisciplinary jury of chemists cites Calvin for his "discoveries on the complex chemistry of photosynthesis, for which he received his Nobel Prize in 1961, and for his work on nuclear applications in chemistry, in radioactive isotopes, and in chemical evolution." Calvin's wide-ranging interests in science take in all that and more. Though perhaps best known for his work describing photosynthesis, Calvin's current interests encompass a wide array, including projects to obtain fuel and chemical feedstocks from various green plants, to study how normal animal cells become malignant, to develop organic dyes for capturing light energy, and to trace chemical evolution. The umbrella that brings together these seemingly unrelated topics is a long-lived interest in coordination chemistry, according to Calvin. After receiving degrees from Michigan Technological University and the University of Minnesota, Calvin did postdoctoral work with Dr. Michael Polanyi in Manchester, England. In the mid-1930's, they studied phthalocyanine dyes—an interest that led Calvin to another coordination compound dye, chlorophyll, and eventually to photosynthesis. Actually, Calvin's path to studying photosynthesis also arose from another interest in a coordination-chemistry problem. During World War II, he was involved in recovering uranium and plutonium from nuclear reactor materials by acid extraction. The method depended on a coordination compound. This experience, particularly with radioactive materials, brought Calvin to Dr. Ernest 0. Lawrence's attention at the end of the war. He invited Calvin to find ways of exploiting one of the by-products— namely, radioactive carbon compounds —of the nuclear reactor in Berkeley. Radioactive compounds were to prove
Calvin's "evangelism" in the crusade for "gasoline trees." Some of them argue that an area the size of Arizona would be needed to provide enough fuel for Calvin's intriguing brand of "green revolution." Certainly, Calvin shouldn't be judged by the survivability of any particular scheme. There are far too many for all of them to work out. "His mind works quickly," says one longtime associate, "so that often he enters a meeting erupting with an avalanche of ideas—unafraid to jump right in, even if it's not his field." Dow Chemical vice president Julius Johnson, who is to introduce Calvin at the award banquet, calls him "catalytic, motivating his colleagues by impregnating them with a host of new ideas." This is why, he adds, Dow has enjoyed such a long and fruitful association with Calvin, who has served as a consultant and is a Varied studies stem from a long-lived in- member of the board of directors. "Most consultants are 'milked dry' after a couple terest in coordination chemistry of years. But not Calvin," says Johnson. Calvin hardly fits the traditional defiabsolutely crucial for tracing chemical nition of catalyst, however. For one thing, reaction pathways in photosynthesis. he tends to participate in surrounding Thus, the coordination chemist soon activities energetically, making it unlikely embarked on a series of biological exper- that he can emerge "unchanged" as befits iments on green algae. Calvin and his as- a classical catalyst. His friends say that, sociates grew the algae in a normal at- when his mind gets going, Calvin has mosphere, and then fed them short bursts "trouble sitting still, and his thoughts of radioactively labeled carbon dioxide. start streaming forth. He just doesn't run Quickly, the algae were killed and ex- well in second gear." Calvin's energy and curiosity extend tracted to "freeze" their metabolism for subsequent analysis. The mix of labeled beyond science. He is known as a "onecompounds that derived from the CO2 suitcase traveler," who knows how to then was sorted and identified—a project "wash his socks." Wisely, his one suitcase is aluminum, and virtually indestructible, that proved challenging but rewarding. Eventually, 3-phosphoglycerate, which according to a colleague who can't recall forms after a transient six-carbon sugar Calvin's ever carrying any more elaborate hydrolyzes, was shown to be the entry luggage. And, back in the 1950's at least, point for carbon dioxide fixation in most Calvin's curiosity was evident while he plants. These reactions then form part of visited strange cities. His practice was to a cycle, frequently called the Calvin cycle, hire a cab, telling the driver to "show me that shunts carbon skeletons during the the city." But, besides tending a small ranch "dark phase reactions" of photosynthetucked away in foothills north of Berkesis. Some of Calvin's current work revolves ley, Calvin is "wrapped up in science." around plant metabolism. For example, Schemes for deriving energy and thoughts one collaborative project involves on probing cancer seem to be Calvin's studying sulfur dioxide pollution effects most important current projects. For example, Calvin would like to deon plants. If such current projects show Calvin's ability to recognize and follow vise a membrane that would allow light energy to split water molecules into hytrends in science, his views on green plants as the means to solve energy needs drogen and oxygen, which could be separately maintained for fuel. It's a hyposhow he must be a trend setter. "Raise cane," urges Calvin, pointing to thetical, but imaginative, scheme. Calvin also is studying phospholipid model the high efficiency of tropical plants such membranes using nuclear magnetic resas sugarcane for converting sunlight and onance techniques. By deducing struccarbon dioxide into sugar. He adds that tural dynamics in such systems, he hopes sugar is a good starting point for making to learn, for example, what goes awry in ethanol, which can be used as a fuel and the membranes of malignant cells. a chemical feedstock. Jeffrey L. Fox, C&EN Washington Critics are somewhat suspicious of May 23, 1977 C&EN
25
