William D. Emmons was an American chemist and published together William S. Wadsworth a modifications to the Wittig-Horner reaction using phosphonate-stabilized carbanions now called the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction

Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction

The Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction is the chemical reaction of stabilized phosphonate carbanions with aldehydes to produce predominantly E-alkenes....

  or HWE reaction or Horner-Wittig reaction

Life

Emmons studied at the University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

 and served in the Pacific in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and avoided being drafted for the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

 by working for the Redstone Arsenal Research of Rohm and Haas

Rohm and Haas

Rohm and Haas Company, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based company, manufactures miscellaneous materials. Formerly a Fortune 500 Company, Rohm and Haas employs more than 17,000 people in 27 countries, with its last sales revenue reported as an independent company at USD 8.9 billion. On July 10,...

. Where he worked until his retirement in 1989.