DEDICATED TO PROFESSOR HC BROWN ON HIS ... - Sigma-Aldrich

Herbert C. Brown and Aldrich
T
here is hardly any chemist today, who is not aware of Professor Brown’s accomplishments in, and impact on, the field of chemistry. Perhaps no one
is more keenly aware of his lasting contributions than we are at Aldrich Chemical Company.
When Professor Brown finally convinced a small chemical company (Aldrich) of the merits of commercializing his hydroboration technology, 1 a 30-year,
highly successful collaboration began between Dr. Brown and Aldrich
Chemical Company. Thus, the Aldrich-Boranes “acorn” was planted just over
30 years ago and has now grown into a tall, sturdy “oak”. Some of the fruits of
this collaboration have been the wide array of boron compounds that Aldrich
has made available to chemists worldwide, and the financial rewards that the
Purdue Research Foundation2 and the recipients of the annual Herbert C.
Brown Award3 have reaped.
Brown served on the Aldrich Board of Directors (1972–1975), the
Sigma-Aldrich Board of Directors (1975–1979), and has been retained
as a consultant by Aldrich (1972–Present). A few of Brown’s students came to
work for Aldrich and made important contributions to the growth of the business,
perhaps none more so than Clint Lane, Aldrich’s current president.
No write-up about Professor Brown, however brief, would be complete
without mentioning his lifelong passion for chemistry. 4 As attendees of
professional meetings such as the ACS or the Boron Americas meetings can
attest to, Nobel Laureate Brown still attends as many talks as he possibly can
and unassumingly walks around the exhibition halls checking out exhibits,
visiting vendors, and picking up chemical literature—just as an eager, young
graduate student would do, except that Brown is nearly 90 years old! Professor
Brown’s other lifelong love is Sarah Baylen Brown, his wife of 65 years. As Brown put it “I take care of the chemistry, and Sarah takes care of the money and
everything else”. Brown relates a pertinent story that is dear to his heart: not long ago both of them were attending a professional function and were observed
to treat each other affectionately. This prompted a couple, who didn’t know them well, to ask them if they were newlyweds! After family and chemistry in
general, Brown is perhaps most fond of boron and its compounds; he was particularly thrilled when he bought a laser pointer that emitted a green light—the
color associated with the combustion of boron compounds. In fact, those very close to him know that just about the only way to get him off the subject of
boron chemistry is to ask him about his two granddaughters.
In writing this piece about Professor Brown, we were hard-pressed to learn about any interests he might have outside of chemistry. The only one we
could identify is photography. Of the few things he dislikes, doing chores that require physical exertion appears to be foremost. 5
Sarah and Herbert Brown in front of the new building devoted to the production
of air-sensitive compounds at the Aldrich plant near Sheboygan Falls, WI
(October 14, 1999).
Professor Brown,
Your friends and admirers at Aldrich thank you for your lasting contributions to chemistry and to the success of
Aldrich, and wish you a happy ninetieth birthday. 6 Many of us look forward to celebrating your birthday—with you,
Sarah, your son Charles, your two granddaughters, Tamar and Ronni, and many of the more than 500 former Brown
students—at a special symposium to be held on May 23–25, 2002 at Purdue University.
References and Notes: (1) Firsan, S. J. Aldrichimica Acta 2001, 34, 35. (2) Reference 1, p 44. (3) The Herbert C. Brown Award for Creative Research in Synthetic Methods, administered by the
American Chemical Society (ACS) and co-sponsored by Aldrich Chemical Company. More information on this award is found on the ACS Web site at www.chemistry.org. (4) (a) Many anecdotes and
fascinating information, particularly about Brown’s early years, have been compiled in a book celebrating Brown’s 66 th birthday and retirement: Remembering HCB: Memoirs of Colleagues and Students
of Herbert C. Brown; Bank, S., Ed.; Purdue University: West Lafayette, IN, 1978. (b) An essay honoring Professor Brown on the occasion of his 75 th birthday has appeared in an earlier issue of this
magazine: Brewster, J. H. Aldrichimica Acta 1987, 20, 3. (5) Reference 4a, p 5. (6) Herbert C. Brown’s ninetieth birthday falls on May 22, 2002.
2 VOL. 35, NO. 1 • 2002
Photo courtesy of H.C. Brown