DOI: 10.1002/asia.201100574

To Eun Lee on His 65th Birthday

Dedicated, inspiring, creative, scholar, educator, leader,mentor, and friend – these are some of the words that im-mediately come to mind when thinking of Eun Lee and hisprofound impact on science and education. This year Euncelebrates his 65th birthday, an almost half-century long af-filiation with Seoul National University and a career thathas produced both great science and great scientists. It is ajoyous occasion and a most exciting commencement.

I first met Eun over 40 years ago when he was a graduatestudent at Yale. It was clear at the time that Eun was differ-ent, driven more so than most by a passion for science thatwas uniquely intense and purposeful. He was clearly deter-mined to make a difference. He was fearless in his selectionof research directions, then and now, taking on problems ofsignificant breadth, depth and impact. His early studies withIan Scott, which laid the foundation for many of his later in-terests, were an impressively challenging mix of biosynthesis,synthesis and mechanistic chemistry. His first paper withScott was on the biosynthesis of fungal tropolones and istoday every bit as impressive as it was when it first appeared40 years ago. Other papers of comparable impact were tofollow including a stunning one-step synthesis of corrinsfrom aminolevulinic acid using a cell free multi-enzyme pro-cess. To the student of synthesis, these studies served asearly and spectacularly inspiring examples of the power ofmulti-catalyst, serialized processes in complex molecule syn-theses.

Eun�s postdoctoral studies with Koji Nakanishi were noless ambitious and impactful and led to the semi-synthesis ofa-ecdysone, one of the first insect hormones used to controlinsect activity (spinning cocoons). This no doubt influencedhis next move to Zoecon, a company founded by Carl Djer-assi to investigate methods for insect control, where Eunproduced numerous contributions to the field of juvenilehormone synthesis and biosynthesis.

In 1977, Eun joined the faculty at Seoul National Universi-ty. His early work, not unlike that of his preceding studies,was ahead of its time, providing methodology for the“remote functionalization” of steroids, a powerful strategydiffering in name but not content and importance from whatis now more commonly called C�H activation. Eun�s workof this period was all the more impressive, given the limitedresources available at the time. Armed however with abroad range of prior experiences and successes, Eun was aperipatetic investigator in the 80s moving freely and inspir-ingly from biosynthetic to mechanistic to synthetic and even

physical chemical studies. Hehimself claims to have beencentered throughout hiscareer on the theme of selec-tivity in organic reactionsand that is impressively evi-dent in his work, but so toois the breadth of his studiesand his ability to identify im-portant problems—signaturesof his science.

Eun�s early studies evolvedincreasingly toward synthesis,leading to a series of impres-sive studies directed at numerous targets including dendrola-sin, (3S)-homomevalonolactone, (Z)-13-eicosen-10-one,g-lactams, rose furan, guaiazulenes, (+ )-dihydromayurone,(�)-savinin and (� )-gadain, (� )-liguloxide, (+ )-dihydrone-petalactone, (+ )-iridomyrmecin, dactomelynes, (+ )-mono-morine 1, (+ )-indolizidine 195B, (–)-clavukerin A and (–)-11-hydroxyguaiene, (+ )-cladantholide, (–)-estafiatin, (–)-trans-kumausyne, (+ )-dolicholactone, (+ )-alyxialactone,(–)-4-epi-alyxialactone, (–)-kumausallene, (+ )-methyl non-actate, (–)-indolizidine 223AB, pamamycin-607, ambruticin,lasonolide A, (+ )-SCH 351448, (� )-centrolobine, (� )-jime-nezin, feigrisolide C, IKD-8344, (� )-amphidinolides E, Kand X, (� )-blepharocalyxin D, (+ )-exiguolide, (+ )-neopel-tolide, (+ )-monocerin, isoplatensimycin, (� )-platensimycinand polycavernoside A to name a few. The diversity andmagnitude of these contributions are enormous as is theirquality and creative content. The science of synthesis has itsartistic side and many of these syntheses rise to not onlyhigh science but high art.

Eun�s impressive synthetic achievements drew in part onhis many creative contributions to methodology includingseminal studies on C�H activation, Favorskii rearrange-ments, the oxy-Cope rearrangement, radical cyclizations,ketyl cyclizations and cationic cyclizations. His early workon remote functionalization and carbene insertions providedfresh new ways to think about bond construction. Eun�swork on the generation and use of radicals in synthesis isenormous in content and reach. For many in the global com-munity these studies became the basis for new directions insynthesis and new materials for teaching synthesis. Eun hasbeen a master of reactive intermediates ranging from anionsto carbenes, radicals, radical anions, organometallics andmore recently carbenium ions. His recent methodological

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EDITORIAL

and synthetic work on Prins-driven macrocyclizations is astunning example of his continuing innovative leadership.

As an investigator, Eun has contributed enormously to thescience of synthesis and chemistry. As an educator andmentor his impact has been equally impressive. Studentsfrom Eun Lee�s laboratory possess a work ethic and creativi-ty that are unsurpassed in my experience. I had the pleasureof working with three and knew several others; one couldnot find better students than these. Not unlike their mentor,their dedication and creativity are a source of inspiration toall. Their contributions and ongoing research will no doubtbe featured in part in this special publication and serve as atribute to one of the leading chemists of our time.

Scientific education and research are endeavors of globalconsequence. They are the keys to our future health andwelfare, a vibrant economy, enlightened environmentalstewardship, and an improved standard of living. Theydefine who we are, what is possible and where we might go.We are fortunate to find scientists and educators of EunLee�s caliber who have the gift and dedication to lead theway. Over 40 years ago Eun Lee started on a journey thatwas to be transformative. He himself has since changed and

he has changed all who have had the pleasure of knowinghim as a teacher, investigator or friend. It is with the deep-est respect that we applaud his profound impact on scienceand education and look forward to his continuing role as aleader in scientific research and the global scientific com-munity. I treasure our shared experiences of the past andlook forward to more in the future. Congratulations dearfriend!

Paul WenderBergstrom Professor of ChemistryDepartment of ChemistryProfessor of Chemical and Systems BiologyStanford UniversityStanford, CA 94305 (USA)E-mail: Wenderp@Stanford.edu

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