Robert Burns Woodward

Robert Burns Woodward
Born	(1917-04-10)April 10, 1917 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	July 8, 1979(1979-07-08) (aged 62) Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS, PhD)
Known for	Landmark organic syntheses Molecular structure determination Vitamin B12 total synthesis Woodward cis-hydroxylation Woodward modification Woodward synthesis Woodward's rules Woodward–Doering quinine synthesis Woodward–Hoffmann rules Prévost–Woodward reaction
Awards	Centenary Prize (1951) ForMemRS (1956)[1] William H. Nichols Medal (1956) Davy Medal (1959) National Medal of Science (1964) Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1965) Willard Gibbs Award (1967) Copley Medal (1978)
Scientific career
Fields	Organic chemistry
Institutions	Harvard University
Thesis	A Synthetic Attack on the Oestrone Problem (1937)
Doctoral advisor	James Flack Norris Avery Adrian Morton[2]
Doctoral students	Christopher Foote Ken Houk Ronald Breslow Stuart Schreiber William R. Roush David M. Lemal

Robert Burns Woodward ForMemRS HonFRSE (April 10, 1917 – July 8, 1979) was an American organic chemist. He is considered by many to be the preeminent synthetic organic chemist of the twentieth century,^[3] having made many key contributions to the subject, especially in the synthesis of complex natural products and the determination of their molecular structure. He worked closely with Roald Hoffmann on theoretical studies of chemical reactions. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1965.