R. B. Woodward's Letters: Revealing, Elegant and Commanding

Abstract

A collection of excerpts from letters written by R. B. Woodward to his friends, colleagues, young students and others is presented. These excerpts are representative of Woodward's lengthy correspondence and illustrate many aspects of his personality and philosophies of life.Keywords: Robert Burns Woodward, Organic synthesis, Philosophy of science, Biography, Sociology of science. IntroductionThe year 2017 being the centenary of the birth of R. B. Woodward, it is fitting that several very recent publications [5 -7] and symposia [8 -10] honoring this great chemist have materialized. Woodward's scientific legacy surely is based on his structure determinations, total syntheses, and mechanistic theories, including the Principle of Conservation of Orbital Symmetry. [11 -13] He is also well known for his celebrity status, even for being a 'chemistry rock star'. [6] Anecdotes abound about Woodward's use of colored chalk and daiquiris in his multi-hour lectures, his love of blue, his snuffing out his cigarettes in flammable solvents, his aura of nobility, and so on (Figure 1). Woodward's publications were elegantly written, and several recent papers illustrate his use of the grand style of writing in those publications. [4] [ 14 -16] As legendary as Woodward remains, there is much about Woodward that remains little known. For example, Woodward's love of Switzerland, his close friendship with many Swiss or converted-to-Swiss chemists, and even the all-too-short lived Woodward Research Institute [17] in Basel, Switzerland, funded by Ciba AG are largely unknown. Of course, Woodward's [18 -25] But what about the private R. B. Woodward? Was all the above just a performance for his adoring fans, and the real Woodward quite someone else? We can obtain a glimpse of the real if also semi-private R. B. Woodward in his letters to both friends and colleagues, especially when we examine over 40 years of his correspondence. These documents can be studied to obtain a deeper and more thorough understanding of and appreciation for this unique chemist. These letters may be historically important, revealing a side of chemistry that is not obvious from the chemical literature and that would be lost without archival records. [26] Or these letters simply can be enjoyed as entertaining and good fun, which they are. Indeed, we can peek into the unpublished letters of R. B. Woodward as voyeurs might snoop around the belongings of a celebrity about whom much is known -but not quite enough.What follows is a collection of letters and excerpts from letters found in the Woodward papers in the Harvard University Archives. These were certainly not intended for the general public. Hence, they were not written with posterity in mind. Rather, they were momentary diversions from Woodward's research focus, workplace tasks that only he could do and not assignable to his reliable and ever-present secretary Dolores Dyer (more on her in the sequel).This correspondence was required for the maintenance of Woodward's professional life, just as one brush...

Evolution of the Diels–Alder Reaction Mechanism since the 1930s: Woodward, Houk with Woodward, and the Influence of Computational Chemistry on Understanding Cycloadditions

“…And even then, many readers may never feel they understand Woodward's intent for this passage. The degree of clarity in the writing of this paragraph may well correlate with the degree of clarity of what Woodward was thinking at the time, since it is well‐known and recently well‐documented [25–28] that Woodward's literary style was exquisite. And his literary style was clear.…”

“…[22a] One-step or two-step?One-stage or two-stage?Even the indifferent reader has much cause for pause.P oint (4) of the immediately above paragraph must be read slowly and carefully,p erhaps several times,b efore one feels somewhat confident that Woodwardsi ntention has been properly understood. And even then, many readers may never feel they understand Woodwardsi ntent for this passage.T he degree of clarity in the writing of this paragraph may well correlate with the degree of clarity of what Woodward was thinking at the time,since it is well-known and recently welldocumented [25][26][27][28] that Woodwardsl iterary style was exquisite.And his literary style was clear.…”

From Decades to Minutes: Steps Toward the Structure of Strychnine 1910–1948 and the Application of Today's Technology

“…Woodward's October 26, 1950, response to Bijvoet exhibited Woodward's characteristic charm. [46,47] No doubt, Woodward was relieved that X-ray analysis confirmed his structure proposal. Woodward wrote to Bijovet, "I do not know how I can thank you warmly enough for your very great kindness in sending me the beautiful model of strychnine, which arrived safely a short time ago.…”

Die Evolution des Diels‐Alder‐Reaktionsmechanismus seit den 1930er Jahren: Woodward, Houk zusammen mit Woodward und der Einfluss der Computerchemie auf das Verständnis von Cycloadditionen

“…Und selbst dann werden viele Leser vielleicht nie das Gefühl haben, dass sie Woodwards Absicht hinter diesem Abschnitt verstehen. Der Grad der Klarheit bei der Abfassung dieses Absatzes kann durchaus mit dem Grad der Klarheit dessen korrelieren, was Woodward damals dachte,d enn es ist wohlbekannt und vor kurzem gut dokumentiert worden, [25][26][27][28] dass Woodwards literarischer Stil exquisit war. Und sein literarischer Stil war klar verständlich.…”