Clayton Heathcock is an organic chemist, Professor of Chemistry, and Dean of the College of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. Professor Heathcock is well known for his accomplishments in the synthesis of complex polycyclic natural products and for his contributions to the chemistry community. In 1995 he became a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Organic chemistry is a specific discipline within the subject of chemistry. ... The University of California, Berkeley (also known as UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, and by other names, see below) is the oldest and flagship campus of the ten-campus University of California system. ... Secondary metabolites, also known as natural products, are those products (chemical compounds) of metabolism that are not essential for normal growth, development or reproduction of an organism. ... President Harding and the National Academy of Sciences at the White House, Washington, DC, April 1921 The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine. ...

Clayton Heathcock received his B.Sc. in chemistry in 1958 from Abilene Christian University and a Ph.D in organic chemistry in 1963 from the University of Colorado. His graduate work was carried out under the direction of Alfred Hassner and dealt with the synthesis of steroidal heterocycles. He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship with Gilbert Stork at Columbia University. In 1964, he joined the faculty at UC Berkeley where he is currently Professor in the Graduate School and Dean of the College of Chemistry. Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a private university located in Abilene, Texas, affiliated with Churches of Christ. ... The University of Colorado (CU) System consists of five campuses: University of Colorado at Boulder University of Colorado at Colorado Springs University of Colorado at Denver University of Colorado Health Sciences Center Fitzsimons campus of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, scheduled to open in 2007 in Aurora, Colorado... Steroid skeleton. ... Pyridine a simple heterocyclic compound Heterocyclic compounds are organic compounds which contain a ring structure containing atoms in addition to carbon, such as sulfur, oxygen or nitrogen, as part of the ring. ... Gilbert Stork (born January 1, 1921) is a Belgian-born U.S. organic chemist. ... Columbia University is a private university whose main campus lies in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of the Borough of Manhattan in New York City. ...

Heathcock is known for tackling the chemical synthesis of complex, polycyclic natural products, often possessing unusual biological activity including Daphniphyllum alkaloids, altohyrtin, zaragozic acid, spongistatins, and many others. He has also developed novel methodology for organic synthesis such as a modification of the Evans aldol reaction. Species See text Daphniphyllum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Daphniphyllaceae, including about 25 species, all evergreen shrubs and trees native to east and southeast Asia. ... Diagram of Ephedrine An alkaloid is a nitrogenous organic molecule that has a pharmacological effect on humans and animals. ... The aldol reaction is an important carbon-carbon bond forming reaction in organic chemistry involving the addition of an enol or enolate anion to an aldehyde or ketone. ...

In addition to his research and teaching accomplishments, Clayton Heathcock has contributed to the chemical community by serving as chairman of the Division of Organic Chemistry of the American Chemical Society (ACS), chairman of the National Institutes of Health Medicinal Chemistry Study Section, chairman of the Gordon Research Conference on Stereochemistry, chair of the Chemistry Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Editor-in Chief of the journals Organic Syntheses and the Journal of Organic Chemistry. The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a learned society (professional association) based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. ... The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for medical research. ... The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an organization that promotes cooperation between scientists, defends scientific freedom, encourages scientific responsibility and supports scientific education for the betterment of all humanity. ... Organic Syntheses is a scientific journal that Since 1921 has provided the chemistry community with annual collections of detailed and checked procedures for the organic synthesis of organic compounds. ... The Journal of Organic Chemistry (abbreviated as ) is a scientific journal for original contributions of fundamental research in organic and bioorganic chemistry. ...

Clayton Heathcock is the author of several hundred research papers[1] and a coauthor of the popular college textbook Introduction to Organic Chemistry.

Awards that Clayton Heathcock has received include Ernest Guenther Award (ACS) (1986); ACS Award for Creative Work in Organic Synthesis (1990); A.C. Cope Scholar (1990); Prelog Medal, ETH (1991); American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1991); National Academy of Sciences (1995); Centenary Medal, Royal Society of Chemistry (1996); H. C. Brown Award (ACS) (2002); Paul Gassman Award for Distinguished Service (ACS) (2004).

References

• Heathcock's research group homepage
• UC Berkeley profile
• Streitwieser, Andrew; Heathcock, Clayton H., Kosower, Edward M. (1992). Introduction to Organic Chemistry, 4th ed., Macmillan Publishing Company, New York. ISBN 0-02-418170-6.