On March 24, following an all-day scientific symposium at Columbia marking his 70th birthday, Breslow was feted with the world premiere of "Liberating Chemistry from the Tyranny of Functional Groups," a five-minute piano solo written by internationally acclaimed contemporary composer Bruce Saylor. The composition was performed by Michael Boriskin, a well-known pianist and recording artist, at a banquet for more than 200 current and former students and postdocs, colleagues, friends, and family.

Also at the banquet, Princeton University chemistry professor John T. Groves announced that a new national award has been established by the American Chemical Society Board of Directors: the Ronald Breslow Award for Achievement in Biomimetic Chemistry. Attending the dinner from ACS were President-Elect Eli Pearce, Director-at-Large Joan Shields, and former ACS president Ed Wasserman. Breslow was ACS president in 1996.

Breslow is renowned for the breadth of his research spanning almost half a century--from research on thiamine begun when he was just out of graduate school to the creation of the cyclopropenyl cation in the 1960s to the development of unique anticancer drugs today. But one of the most important areas he pioneered is a field whose name he coined: biomimetic chemistry, or the use of artificial enzymes to transform molecules. He's also an accomplished pianist and music lover. Thus was born the idea to commemorate his 70th birthday with a musical composition that would pay tribute to his scientific accomplishments.

Saylor based the Breslow composition on successive transformations of the cadential material that closes the great adagio from Bach's C Major Sonata for solo violin. These are "achingly beautiful, almost heartbreaking notes," Saylor said, which he then transforms, much as Breslow's chemistry has involved transformations.

"One will scarcely recognize Bach," Saylor explained to C&EN. "From the beginning, I have pulled the material apart rhythmically, reordered the original pitches into an incipient octatonic scale, interrupted it with musical interjections, allowed the ever-evolving melodic and harmonic source material successively to transform and reinvent itself, and cooked up a head of steam. Then in a final oblique reference to the great master's original, the clouds of minor tonality burst out into sunshine-splashed C major." The score starts slowly and lyrically, but the tempo soon picks up and builds to an exciting crescendo that brought the audience into sustained applause at the finale.

Saylor said he was not consciously thinking of Breslow's seminal contributions in chemical research when he began to compose. "But about halfway through, I realized how appropriate the form and content of the music was for this happy occasion. To celebrate a man's love of music in this way is really just so sweet and, of course, it is something that echoes through music history."

Describing the occasion as an "unbelievable and fantastic honor," Breslow said the commissioning of a contemporary piano piece is particularly exciting because in his research he has tried to move chemistry into a "modern idiom," much as Saylor has composed a score that interprets Bach in a contemporary way.

The daylong symposium in Havemeyer Hall--a National Historic Chemical Landmark--attracted more than 250 people and featured talks by 25 distinguished chemists who either received their Ph.D.s or did postdocs with Breslow over the course of four decades and who returned to Columbia from as far away as Japan and India. One exception was Columbia assistant chemistry professor Virginia W. Cornish, who did undergraduate research with Breslow. Speaker after speaker lauded Breslow for instilling a passion for science, for his mentorship, and for the diversity of scientific problems he's tackled.

"I was blown away by the breadth and depth of the talks and the tributes we heard," said Groves, who was chairman of the celebration's organizing committee and who did his Ph.D. with Breslow on the cyclopropenyl cation. "These talks indicated how freely Ron gave of his insights, intuition, and intensity. He taught us how to be scientists, how to be curious, and how to be joyous."

Yale University chemistry professor Alanna Schepartz, who received her Ph.D. with Breslow, said, "In addition to teaching us how to do science, Ron showed us how to run a group and how to treat coworkers." University of California, Berkeley, chemistry professor Robert G. Bergman, who did a postdoc with Breslow, agreed: "Ron talked to us, we didn't just learn things from him; he was interested in our opinions and cared about what we thought. He taught us what a good mentor does, and we've tried to do this in our careers."

Summarizing the obvious affection of Breslow's former students, University of Wisconsin chemistry professor Samuel H. Gellman said, "I've had a very good [professional] life, but I've never been happier than when I was a graduate student in the Breslow group."

At the banquet, additional tributes poured in from Columbia President George Rupp, who called Breslow a "luminous star in a bright constellation" of distinguished Columbia chemists; Columbia chemistry department chairman Gerard (Ged) Parkin, who noted that "Ron has given life to Columbia chemistry;" and longtime colleague and distinguished chemist Gilbert T. Stork, who showed the first infrared spectrum Breslow did for Stork when the young undergraduate was at Harvard University. The date was March 14, 1952--Stork drew a large laugh by noting that Breslow was actually in the lab working on his birthday.

The evening closed with a beaming Breslow uncharacteristically almost at a loss for words. After thanking everyone, he sat down at the Steinway grand piano at which "Liberating Chemistry" had been premiered and brought everyone to a standing ovation with a complex and touching rendition of "Days of Wine and Roses."--MADELEINE JACOBS

     

Boriskin (center) presented the score of "Liberating Chemistry" to Breslow, who reacted with delight when he read the music.

 
 

PHOTOS BY KEVIN MACDERMOTT

Chemical & Engineering News
Copyright (c) 2001 American Chemical Society - All Right Reserved

 
 

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This site was created by Steve Dong
Last revised: Thursday, April 12, 2001.