Nobel Laureate Jean-Marie Lehn: 2009/2010 Chute Lecturer

The 2009/2010 Chute Lecture Series was presented by Professor Jean-Marie Lehn.  He delivered his public address, "From Matter to Life: Chemistry? Chemistry!" on October 15th and his research lecture the following day.

 Jean-Marie Lehn was born in Rosheim, France. His high school studies included Latin, Greek, German and English languages and French literature and he later became very keen in both philosophy and science, particularly chemistry. Although he considered studying philosophy, he ended up taking courses in physical, chemical and natural sciences and realized that he wanted to pursue a research career in organic chemistry. After he obtained his PhD, he worked in R.B. Woodward’s laboratory at Harvard University, working on, among other things, the synthesis of vitamin B12.

Dr. Lehn was appointed assistant professor at the University of Strasbourg.  His research focused on the physical properties of molecules, with the aim of synthesizing compounds specifically designed for exhibiting a given property in order to better understand how that property was related to structure. He achieved the synthesis of cage-like molecules, comprising a cavity inside which another chemical entity could be lodged.  Organic chemistry enabled him to engineer cages with the desired shape and size, thus allowing only a certain type of molecule to lodge itself in the cage. This was the premise for an entirely new field in chemistry dealing with molecular recognition processes. These cryptands, as Prof. Lehn dubbed them, became his main center of interest and led to his definition of a new type of chemistry, “supramolecular chemistry”, producing large chemical entities in a rational way.  In 1987, Prof. Lehn was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work in the chemistry of molecular recognition and, in particular, his studies of cryptands and related species.

Prof. Lehn's research has been of great importance for the developments within coordination
chemistry, organic synthesis, analytical chemistry and bioorganic and bioinorganic chemistry, and has laid the foundation for the active interdisciplinary area of research within chemistry termed supramolecular chemistry. Recent developments of his work concern the design of chemical systems undergoing self-organization, the basic process that leads to the emergence of complex matter.  He also contributed important research in the area of artificial photosynthesis and the storage and chemical conversion of solar energy.

He has published in excess of 800 peer-reviewed articles in the chemical literature.