Robert Bruce Merrifield
Robert Bruce Merrifield, called Bruce Merrifield, ( born July 15, 1921 in Fort Worth, Texas; † 14 May 2006, Cresskill, New Jersey ) was an American chemist who in 1984 received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
He was the only son of George E. Merrifield and Lorene, nee Lucas, was born. 1923 the family moved to California, where he went to nine elementary schools and two high schools, before he made the 1939 graduation at the Montebello High School. There he developed an interest in chemistry as well as for astronomy.
After two years at the Pasadena Junior College, he joined the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA ), where he made 1943 a Bachelor's degree in chemistry. He then worked for a year 1943/44, at the Philip R. Park Research Foundation, where he took care of a colony of laboratory animals and assisted in experiments on the growth of synthetic amino acids. A first of these experiments showed that the required amino acids must be present simultaneously in order to allow growth.
Then he returned for a doctoral program to the Department of Chemistry at UCLA, while he was there at the same time assistant for Chemistry in the Medical School at UCLA. With the Professor of Biochemistry MS Dunn, he developed microbiological methods for the quantification of the pyrimidines. One day after the promotion on June 19, 1949, he married Elizabeth Furlong and went the next day to New York and the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research (later Rockefeller University), where he was an assistant of Biochemistry. In 1953 he became a member of the Rockefeller Institute. From 1957 he was assistant professor and later a professor there, from 1984, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Professor. From 1993 he was professor emeritus. In 1969 he was Nobel Guest Professor at the University of Uppsala.
In 1963 he published the he developed solid-phase synthesis of proteins and peptides. The main idea is that biological molecules such as proteins or peptides representing linear polymers and that, in the synthesis of which can be coupled to one end of a matrix. This method was later also transmitted to the synthesis of oligonucleotides, sugars, and other complex organic molecules. The breakthrough of this method brought undoubtedly the synthesis of the existing 124 amino acid ribonuclease A, which he completed in 1969 with Bernd Gutte.
Merrifield was a member of the National Academy of Science, Washington. In 1969 he received the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, a 1970 Gairdner Foundation International Award and the Intra - Science Award, the 1972 Award for Creative Work in Synthetic Organic Chemistry of the American Chemical Society, 1973, the Nichols Medal, 1979 Alan E. Pierce Award and the 1990 Ralph F. Hirschmann Award in Peptide Chemistry. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Merrifield was more honorary doctorates (including University of Colorado, Uppsala, Yale, Boston College, Barcelona, Montpellier).
Merrifield died on 14 May 2006 after a long illness at the age of 84 years. He left behind his wife, six children and 16 grandchildren.
He was from 1969 co-editor of the International Journal of Peptide and Protein Research.