Speaker
Information Award
Lecture Speaker
Information
Award
Lecture
Fredric M. Menger
Emory University
The 1997 Herty Medal is presented to Candler Professor Fredric M. Menger of Emory University in recognition of his significant contributions to organic chemistry. Professor Menger is truly a Southern Chemist. He began his career as an Assistant Professor at Emory University in 1965. Today, 32 years later, he is Charles H. Candler Professor in the same department. Dr. Menger is, and has always been, an "unconventional" organic chemist. Instead of individual reactions and molecules, Dr. Menger focuses on a broader perspective of organic chemistry: the so-called "chemical systems". Particularly of note are his seminal contributions to our current understanding of the structure and properties of micelles and vesicles and other molecular aggregates that are extremely important to the function of biological systems and industrial processes. Dr. Menger's research is best summarized by Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann in his supporting nomination letter: "Fred Menger's work is distinguished by three things: (1) its sheer originality, (2) its fearlessness in tackling inherently complex problems and/or questioning pre-concieved notions, and (3) an attention to language, style, and pedagogy in the presentation of the work".
Dr. Menger has made many outstanding contributions to bio-organic
chemistry. He is a pioneer in research on micelles and vesicles
having developed the widely accepted Menger Model of micelles;
he developed two new turnover micellar catalysts (Atlanta I and
II) for the destruction of environmentally toxic phosphorous (V)
derivatives; he reported the first vesicle system that opens in
the presence of one specific enzyme produced at high levels by
a neuroblastoma; he is the first to develop catalysts and reagents
via the use of combinatorially synthesized polymeric systems;
and he published the first paper on "cytomimetic chemistry"
in which cell-like organic systems undergo fusion, fission, budding,
endocytosis, adhesion, birthing, and healing processes as observed
by light microscopy.
A "chemical system" is defined as an assemblage of molecules that collectively does something interesting or useful. The key word here is collectively, a word that implies an interdependency and a group behavior that can be quite different from that of individual molecules. Batteries, computer chips, concrete, mayonnaise, shampoo, paint, liquid crystal displays, and viruses are all examples of commonly encountered systems. A chemical system is multimolecular, a collection of molecules interlocked in a tangle of dependencies.
The lecture will delvelope into a variety of chemical systems
investigated at Emory, including micelles, water pools, films,
vesicles, and fibers. All of them can be categorized as "self-assembling"
or "self-organizing" in the sense that defined structures
arise spontaneously owing to noncovalent forces among the component
molecules. Such chemical systems are useful for many purposes
including decontamination of environmentally dangerous substances,
drug delivery, and separation of organic compounds. The lecture
ends with a video showing giant vesicles engaged in "cytomimetic"
processes including fusion, fission, aggregation, budding, and
healing; and a video of Professor Menger lecturing in California
to a crowd of Beetles fans on Fantasies in Chemistry.
In Dr. Menger's Lab two giant vesicles of opposite charge
are seen by phase-contrast microscopy to "snap together"
when brought contact One of the vesicles then bursts thereby surrounding
the other with a layer of opposite charge. The process can be
repeated to construct alternating layers.
Last Updated June 3, 1998.
