Lew Mander
Encyclopedia
Lewis Norman Mander, FAA
, FRS
(b. 8 September 1939) is a New Zealand
organic chemist. He has widely explored the synthesis and chemistry of the gibberellin class of diterpenes over a 20 year period.
Lew Mander completed a BSc
degree at the University of Auckland
, New Zealand
in 1960, followed by an MSc
degree in 1961 from the same institution.
He then moved to Australia
in 1962 to undertake a PhD
degree at the University of Sydney
before committing to an initial Postdoctoral Fellowship
at the University of Michigan
with Bob Ireland.
Mander then moved with Ireland to Caltech in 1965 (after his PhD had been conferred) for an additional two years. Mander then returned to Australia
in 1966 to join the academic fraternity as a Lecturer in Organic Chemistry at the University of Adelaide
.
It did not take long till Mander was promoted to Senior Lecturer
in Organic Chemistry
in 1970 where he remained until 1975 when he relocated to the Australian National University
Research School of Chemistry as a Senior Fellow where he has risen through the ranks to become one of Australia's
leading Organic Chemistry professors. In 2004 the Australian Journal of Chemistry
published a special issue for the occasion of Mander's 65th Birthday.
Amongst his many scholarly activities, Mander contributed a chapter on 'Stereoselective Synthesis' to the classic text 'Stereochemistry of Organic Compounds' by Professors Ernest L. Eliel
and Samuel H. Wilen.
Australian Academy of Science
The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The Academy is modelled after the Royal Society and operates under a Royal Charter; as such it is...
, FRS
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(b. 8 September 1939) is a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
organic chemist. He has widely explored the synthesis and chemistry of the gibberellin class of diterpenes over a 20 year period.
Lew Mander completed a BSc
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree at the University of Auckland
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1960, followed by an MSc
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in 1961 from the same institution.
He then moved to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1962 to undertake a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
before committing to an initial Postdoctoral Fellowship
Postdoctoral researcher
Postdoctoral research is scholarly research conducted by a person who has recently completed doctoral studies, normally within the previous five years. It is intended to further deepen expertise in a specialist subject, including acquiring novel skills and methods...
at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
with Bob Ireland.
Mander then moved with Ireland to Caltech in 1965 (after his PhD had been conferred) for an additional two years. Mander then returned to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1966 to join the academic fraternity as a Lecturer in Organic Chemistry at the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
.
It did not take long till Mander was promoted to Senior Lecturer
Senior lecturer
Senior lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a faculty position at a university or similar institution. Especially in research-intensive universities, lecturers lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
in Organic Chemistry
Organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-based compounds, hydrocarbons, and their derivatives...
in 1970 where he remained until 1975 when he relocated to the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
Research School of Chemistry as a Senior Fellow where he has risen through the ranks to become one of Australia's
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
leading Organic Chemistry professors. In 2004 the Australian Journal of Chemistry
Australian Journal of Chemistry
The Australian Journal of Chemistry, an international, multidisciplinary journal for the chemical sciences, is a peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing original, primary research and review articles on all aspects of chemistry...
published a special issue for the occasion of Mander's 65th Birthday.
Amongst his many scholarly activities, Mander contributed a chapter on 'Stereoselective Synthesis' to the classic text 'Stereochemistry of Organic Compounds' by Professors Ernest L. Eliel
Ernest L. Eliel
Ernest Ludwig Eliel was a chemist born in Cologne, Germany. Among his awards were the Priestley Medal in 1996 and the NAS Award for Chemistry in Service to Society in 1997....
and Samuel H. Wilen.
Research interests
- Synthesis and preparation of semi-synthetic derivatives of gibberellins.
- Molecular basis of plant growth regulationPlant hormonePlant hormones are chemicals that regulate plant growth, which, in the UK, are termed 'plant growth substances'. Plant hormones are signal molecules produced within the plant, and occur in extremely low concentrations. Hormones regulate cellular processes in targeted cells locally and, when moved...
with gibberellins. - Synthesis of diterpenoidTerpenoidThe terpenoids , sometimes called isoprenoids, are a large and diverse class of naturally occurring organic chemicals similar to terpenes, derived from five-carbon isoprene units assembled and modified in thousands of ways. Most are multicyclic structures that differ from one another not only in...
natural products with high bioactivityBiological activityIn pharmacology, biological activity or pharmacological activity describes the beneficial or adverse effects of a drug on living matter. When a drug is a complex chemical mixture, this activity is exerted by the substance's active ingredient or pharmacophore but can be modified by the other...
. - Dissolving metal-mediated reductive alkylationAlkylationAlkylation is the transfer of an alkyl group from one molecule to another. The alkyl group may be transferred as an alkyl carbocation, a free radical, a carbanion or a carbene . Alkylating agents are widely used in chemistry because the alkyl group is probably the most common group encountered in...
of bezenoid synthons. - C-selective acylationAcylationIn chemistry, acylation is the process of adding an acyl group to a compound. The compound providing the acyl group is called the acylating agent....
of enolEnolEnols are alkenes with a hydroxyl group affixed to one of the carbon atoms composing the double bond. Alkenes with a hydroxyl group on both sides of the double bond are called enediols. Deprotonated anions of enols are called enolates...
ates using methyl cyanoformateMethyl cyanoformateMethyl cyanoformate is the organic compound with the formula CH3OCCN. This colorless liquid is used as a reagent in organic synthesis as a source of the methoxycarbonyl group.It was also the active ingredient in the pesticide product Zyklon A....
(Mander's reagent).
Fellowships and Awards
- Nuttfield Commonwealth Fellow 1971-1972 (Cambridge)
- Fulbright Senior ScholarFulbright ProgramThe Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
(California Institute of TechnologyCalifornia Institute of TechnologyThe California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, 1977, and Harvard University, 1986) - H.G. Smith Memorial Medal 1981 (RACIRoyal Australian Chemical InstituteThe Royal Australian Chemical Institute Inc. is both the qualifying body in Australia for professional chemists and a learned society promoting the science and practice of chemistry in all its branches. The RACI hosts conferences, seminars and workshops...
) - Member of the Australian Academy of ScienceAustralian Academy of ScienceThe Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The Academy is modelled after the Royal Society and operates under a Royal Charter; as such it is...
1983 - Flintoff Medal and Prize (RSCRoyal Society of ChemistryThe Royal Society of Chemistry is a learned society in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences." It was formed in 1980 from the merger of the Chemical Society, the Royal Institute of Chemistry, the Faraday Society and the Society for Analytical Chemistry with a new...
) - Hon. Fellow of the Royal Society of New ZealandRoyal Society of New ZealandThe Royal Society of New Zealand , known as the New Zealand Institute before 1933, was established in 1867 to co-ordinate and assist the activities of a number of regional research societies including the Auckland Institute, the Wellington Philosophical Society, the Philosophical Institute of...
1991 (FRSNZ Hon)
Representative Publications
- King G.R., Mander L.N., Monck N.J.T., Morris J.C. and Zhang H. A New and Efficient Strategy for the Total Synthesis of Polycyclic Diterpenoids: The Preparation of Gibberellins (±)-GA103 and (±)-GA73. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1997, 119, 3828-3829.
- Frey, B., Wells, A. P., Rogers, D. R. and Mander, L. N. Synthesis of the Unusual Diterpenoid Tropones, Hainanolidol and Harringtonolide. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1998, 120, 1914-1915.
- Mander, L. N. Twenty years of gibberellin research. Natural Product Reports, 2003, 20, 49-69.
- Mander, L. N. and McLachlan, M. M. Total synthesis of the Galbulimima alkaloid GB 13. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2003, 125, 2400-2401.
- Mander, L. N. and Thomson, R. J. Total synthesis of Sordaricin. Org. Lett., 2003, 5, 1321-1324.