Lehn, Jean-Marie Pierre

Jean-Marie Lehn se je rodil 1939 v Rosheimu v Franciji. Diplomiral je s področja kemije na Univerzi v Strasbourgu leta 1960. Tam je tudi opravil doktorske raziskave pod vodstvom Guya Ourissona, doktoriral je 1963. Naslednje leto je delal v laboratoriju Robert Burns Woodwarda na Harvardu, ker je sodeloval pri totalni sintezi vitamina B12. Po povratku v Strasbourg je pričel raziskovati na skupnih področjih organske in fizikalne kemije, pozneje pa je svoje zanimanje razširil še na biološke procese.
1968 so njegove raziskave privedle do kletkam podobnih molekul, ki vsebujejo votlino, v katero lahko vključimo drugo kemično vrsto molekul s primerno velikostjo in obliko. Tako nastane »kriptat«, podobno kot se ključ prilega v ključavnico. S tem se je pričelo njegovo raziskovalno delo »prepoznavanja molekul« na kemični osnovi (t. j. način, po katerem receptorska molekula prepozna in selektivno veže substrat), kar igra tudi temeljno vlogo pri bioloških procesih. Za te raziskave je prejel Lehn leta Nobelovo nagrado za kemijo skupaj z D. J. Cramom in C. J. Pedersenom.
Od 1970 je bil Lehn profesor za kemijo na Univerzi Louis Pasteur v Strasbourgu, 1979 pa je bil izvoljen za predstojnika katedre za kemijo molekularnih interakcij na Collège de France v Parizu.
Sčasoma so njegove raziskave pripeljale do opredelitve novega področja kemije, ki ga je poimenoval »nadmolekularna kemija« (supramolekularna kemija). Pri tem gre za kompleksne entitete, ki nastanejo po asociaciji dveh ali več kemijskih vrst, katere držijo skupaj medmolekulske sile, medtem ko obravnava kemija molekul značilnosti entitet, sestavljenih iz atomov, ki so vezani s kovalentnimi vezmi. Njegove raziskave so se razširile od prepoznavanja molekul k nadmolekularni katalizi in transportnim procesom. Razširile so se tudi na izdelavo funkcionalnih pripomočkov za nadmolekularno fotoniko, elektroniko in ioniko.
Potem je glavna razvojna linija privedla do kemije »samoorganiziranja«, ki temelji na načrtu »programiranih« sistemov, ki se sami od sebe združijo v ustrezne sestavine dobro definiranih funkcionalnih nadmolekularnih gradnikov, kar usmerjajo nadmolekularni procesi na temelju molekularnih informacij. V zadnjem času je omogočila vpeljava dinamičnih značilnosti nadmolekularne kemije v molekularno kemijo in ob pomoči reverzibilnih kovalentnih vezi poleg načrtovanih samoorganiziranih procesov tudi selekcijo. Prišlo je do opredelitve pojma in razvoja »konstitucijske dinamične kemije«, katere molekularne ali nadmolekularne vrste molekul se lahko reorganizirajo pod vplivom zunanjih stimulansov in tako se je pojavila »adaptivna kemije«.
Lehn je avtor več kot 850 znanstvenih objav in član več akademij in institucij ter je prejemnik številnih mednarodnih častnih naslovov in nagrad.

Bibliografija (J.-M. Lehn kot edini avtor)
Članki
- Nitrogen inversion: experiment and theory, v Fortschritte der chemischen Forschung, 1970, 311, Springer-Verlag.
- Theoretical conformational analysis: ab initio SCF-LCAO-MO studies of conformations and conformational energy barriers. Scope and limitations, v IUPAC Symposium on Conformational Analysis , Bruxelles, 1969, Academic Press, 1971, str.129.
- Design of organic complexing agents. Strategies towards properties, Structure and Bonding, 1973, 16, 1.
- Cryptates: the chemistry of macropolycyclic inclusion complexes, Acc. Chem. Res., 1978, 11, 49.
- Macrocyclic receptor molecules: Aspects of chemical reactivity. Investigations into molecular catalysis and transport processes, Pure & Appl. Chem., 1979, 51, 979.
- Artificial photosynthesis and solar energy conversion. Catalytic photochemical water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction, Proceedings of the 8th International Congress on Catalysis, Berlin (zapadni) 2-6, julij 1984, Vol. 1, Verlag Chemie, Weinheim, 1984.
- Supramolecular chemistry - Scope and perspectives. Molecules, supermolecules, and molecular devices, (Nobel Lecture, 8.12.1987), Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl., 1988, 27, 89
- Perspectives in supramolecular chemistry - From molecular recognition towards molecular information processing and self-organization, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl., 1990, 29, 1304.
- Dynamic combinatorial chemistry and virtual combinatorial libraries, Chem. Eur. J., 1999, 5, 2455.
- Programmed chemical systems : Multiple subprograms and multiple processing/expression of molecular information, Chem. Eur. J., 2000, 6, 2097.
- Toward complex matter: Supramolecular chemistry and self-organization, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2002, 99, 4763.
- Toward self-organization and complex matter, Science, 2002, 295, 2400.
- Dynamers : Dynamic molecular and supramolecular polymers, Prog. Polym. Sci., 2005, 30, 814.
- From supramolecular chemistry towards constitutional dynamic chemistry and adaptive chemistry, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2007, 36, 151.

Knjiga
- Supramolecular Chemistry: Concepts and Perspectives, VCH Weinheim, 1995.

(junij 2011)

Jean-Marie LEHN was born in Rosheim, France in 1939. He received his bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the University of Strasbourg in 1960. There he also did research towards his doctorate with Guy Ourisson for three years, earning his Ph.D. in 1963. The following year he worked in the laboratory of Robert Burns Woodward at Harvard, where he participated in the total synthesis of vitamin B12. On his return to Strasbourg he began to work in areas at the interface between organic and physical chemistry, later taking an interest in biological processes as well.
In 1968, his research led to the fabrication of cage-like molecules that contain a cavity into which another chemical species of appropriate size and shape may be included, to form a “cryptate”, like a key fits into a lock. With this began his work on the chemical basis of "molecular recognition" (i.e. the way in which a receptor molecule recognizes and selectively binds a substrate), which also plays a fundamental role in biological processes. For these studies Lehn received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1987 with D.J. Cram and C.J. Pedersen.
From 1970, Lehn has been Professor of Chemistry at the Université Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg and in 1979 he was elected to the chair of Chemistry of Molecular Interactions at the Collège de France in Paris.
Over the years his work led to the definition of a new field of chemistry, which he has named "supramolecular chemistry" as it deals with the complex entities formed by the association of two or more chemical species held together by intermolecular forces, whereas molecular chemistry studies the features of the entities constructed from atoms linked by covalent bonds. His research broadened from molecular recognition towards supramolecular catalysis and transport processes. It also extended to the elaboration of functional devices, for supramolecular photonics, electronics and ionics.
Thereafter, the main line of development concerned the chemistry of “self-organization” based on the design of "programmed" systems that undergo spontaneous assembly of suitable components into well-defined functional supramolecular architectures, directed by the supramolecular processing of molecular information. More recently, importing into molecular chemistry, the dynamic features characteristic of supramolecular chemistry, through the introduction of reversible covalent bonds, allowed the implementation of selection in addition to design in self-organization processes. It led to the definition and development of “constitutional dynamic chemistry”, whose molecular or supramolecular entities are able to undergo reorganization in response to external stimuli, thus pointing to the emergence of an “adaptive chemistry”.
Author of more than 850 scientific publications, Lehn is a member of many academies and institutions and has received numerous international honours and awards.
Bibliography (by J.-M. Lehn as sole author)

Articles
Nitrogen inversion: experiment and theory, in Fortschritte der chemischen Forschung, 1970, 311, Springer-Verlag.
Theoretical conformational analysis: ab initio SCF-LCAO-MO studies of conformations and conformational energy barriers. Scope and limitations, in IUPAC Symposium on Conformational Analysis , Bruxelles, 1969, Academic Press, 1971, p.129.
Design of organic complexing agents. Strategies towards properties, Structure and Bonding, 1973, 16, 1.
Cryptates: the chemistry of macropolycyclic inclusion complexes, Acc. Chem. Res., 1978, 11, 49.
Macrocyclic receptor molecules: Aspects of chemical reactivity. Investigations into molecular catalysis and transport processes, Pure & Appl. Chem., 1979, 51, 979.
Artificial photosynthesis and solar energy conversion. Catalytic photochemical water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction, Proceedings of the 8th International Congress on Catalysis, Berlin (West) 2-6, July 1984, Vol. 1, Verlag Chemie, Weinheim, 1984.
Supramolecular chemistry - Scope and perspectives. Molecules, supermolecules, and molecular devices, (Nobel Lecture, 8.12.1987), Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl., 1988, 27, 89
Perspectives in supramolecular chemistry - From molecular recognition towards molecular information processing and self-organization, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl., 1990, 29, 1304.
Dynamic combinatorial chemistry and virtual combinatorial libraries, Chem. Eur. J., 1999, 5, 2455.
Programmed chemical systems : Multiple subprograms and multiple processing/expression of molecular information, Chem. Eur. J., 2000, 6, 2097.
Toward complex matter: Supramolecular chemistry and self-organization, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2002, 99, 4763.
Toward self-organization and complex matter, Science, 2002, 295, 2400.
Dynamers : Dynamic molecular and supramolecular polymers, Prog. Polym. Sci., 2005, 30, 814.
From supramolecular chemistry towards constitutional dynamic chemistry and adaptive chemistry, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2007, 36, 151.

Book
Supramolecular Chemistry: Concepts and Perspectives, VCH Weinheim, 1995.

(August 2010)