John C. Sheehan
| John Clark Sheehan | |
|---|---|
| Born |
23 September 1915 Battle Creek, Michigan |
| Died | 21 March 1992 (aged 76) Key Biscayne, Florida |
| Nationality | United States |
| Fields | Organic Chemistry |
| Alma mater |
Battle Creek College University of Michigan |
| Doctoral advisor | Werner E. Bachmann |
| Notable students | E.J. Corey |
| Known for | Synthesis of penicillin |
| Notable awards |
ACS Award in Pure Chemistry (1951) Election to National Academy of Sciences (1957) American Chemical Society Award for Creative Work in Synthetic Organic Chemistry (1959) John Scott Award for inventors benefiting mankind (1964) Outstanding Achievement Award of the University of Michigan (1971) |
John Clark Sheehan (23 September 1915 – 21 March 1992) was an American organic chemist whose work on synthetic penicillin led to tailor-made forms of the drug. After nine years of hard work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), he became the first to discover a practical method for synthesizing penicillin V. While achieving total synthesis, Sheehan also produced an intermediate compound, 6-aminopenicillanic acid, which turned out to be the foundation of hundreds of kinds of synthetic penicillin. Dr. Sheehan's research on synthetic penicillin paved the way for the development of customized forms of the lifesaving antibiotic that target specific bacteria. Over the four decades he worked at M.I.T., Sheehan came to hold over 30 patents, including the invention of ampicillin, a commonly used semi-synthetic penicillin that is taken orally rather than by injection. His research covered not only penicillin, but also peptides, other antibiotics, alkaloids, and steroids.
He was born on September 23, 1915 in Battle Creek, Michigan to Florence and Leo C. Sheehan. His family had Irish and Yankee background, and he was raised as a Catholic and attended Catholic grade schools. His father was then a sports editor and police reporter for a local newspaper, The Battle Creek Enquirer. Leo C. Sheehan left home at the age of fifteen and found work as a reporter in San Francisco. As a skill writer, he progressed quickly with The Battle Creek Enquirer and became the managing editor. At one point, he functioned as the ghostwriter for Frank Murphy, who was once the governor of Michigan and a Supreme Court Justice. Sheehan's mother was a genealogist who later became the Michigan registrar for the Daughters of the American Revolution. His paternal grandfather, John W. Sheehan, was a successful lawyer, while his maternal grandfather, Nathaniel Y. Green, was a bank manager who had a keen interest in science and nature. Green played a role in stimulating John C. Sheehan's interest in science by giving him a microscope with an oil-immersion lens. He also introduced Sheehan to the curator of a local museum and took his grandson to meetings where Green frequently met with others passionate about astronomy.
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