Letters to a Young Chemist

What’s it really like to be a chemist? Leading chemists share what they do, how they do it, and why they love it. “Letters to a young …” has been a much-loved way for professionals in a field to convey their enthusiasm and the realities of what they do to the next generation. Now, Letters to a Young Chemist does the same for the chemical sciences. Written with a humorous touch by some of today’s leading chemists, this book presents missives to “Angela,” a fictional undergraduate considering a career in chemistry. The different chapters offer a mix of fundamental principles, contemporary issues, and challenges for the future. Marye Anne Fox, Chancellor of the University of California San Diego, talks about learning to do research and modern physical organic chemistry. Brothers Jonathan and Daniel Sessler explain the chemistry of anesthetics that make modern surgery possible while Elizabeth Nolan talks about biological imaging. Terry Collins talks about green chemistry, a more sustainable way of doing chemistry, while several authors including Carl Wamser, Harry Gray, John Magyar, and Penny Brothers discuss the crucial contributions that chemists can make in meeting global energy needs. Letters to a Young Chemist gives students and professionals alike a unique window into the real world of chemistry. Entertaining, informative, and full of honest and inspiring advice, it serves as a helpful guide throughout your education and career. “The different chapters describe both the wonders of the molecular world and the practical benefits afforded by chemistry ... and if any girl out there thinks that chemistry is a man’s world, this book should be a good antidote.” —Marye Anne Fox, Chancellor of the University of California, San Diego, and winner of the 2009 US National Medal of Science “Letters to a Young Chemist offers significant ammunition for motivating young people to consider chemistry as a career. ... This book should also be required reading for all faculty members who teach chemistry in high schools, colleges, and universities.” —Stephen J. Lippard, Arthur Amos Noyes Professor of Chemistry, Massachusetts  Institute of Technology, and winner of the 2006 US National Medal of Science

Foreword vii Stephen J. Lippard Preface xiii Contributors xix Part I From Fundamentals to Applications 1 1. Let’s Get Physical 3 Marye Anne Fox 2. In Silico: An Alternate Approach to Chemistry and Biology 19 David A. Case 3. The Purple Planet: A Short Tour of Porphyrins and Related Macrocycles 33 Abhik Ghosh 4. Anesthesia: Don’t Forget Your Chemistry 51 Jonathan L. Sessler and Daniel I. Sessler 5. The Green Evolution 77 Terrence J. Collins Part II Chemistry and the Life Sciences 95 6. Thinking Like an Enzyme 97 Judith P. Klinman v 7. Making Sense of Oxygen 109 Marie-Alda Gilles-Gonzalez 8. Let’s Visualize Biology: Chemistry and Cellular Imaging 119 Elizabeth M. Nolan 9. Bioinorganic Chemistry: Show Your Mettle by Meddling with Metals 137 Kara L. Bren 10. Better Than Sliced Bread 155 Chaitan Khosla 11. Choreographing DNA 165 Cynthia J. Burrows Part III Functional Materials 177 12. Supramolecules to the Rescue! 179 Seth M. Cohen 13. Biomaterials at the Beach: How Marine Biology Uses Chemistry to Make Materials 197 Jonathan J. Wilker 14. The Advantage of Being Small: Nanotechnology 217 Michael J. Sailor Part IV Chemistry and Energy 239 15. Happy Campers: Chemists’ Solutions to Energy Problems 241 Penelope J. Brothers 16. Clean Electrons and Molecules Will Save the World 261 Carl C. Wamser 17. Metals, Microbes, and Solar Fuel 279 Harry B. Gray and John S. Magyar Index 291