Lemieux, Raymond

The life and work of one of the greatest carbohydrate scientists of our time, Raymond U. Lemieux, is recalled here in a sensitive account by Bundle (Edmonton). During a remarkably productive career extending over more than half a century, Lemieux pioneered the application of NMR spectroscopy in chemistry, developed rational approaches for glycosidic coupling, made major contributions to our understanding of three-dimensional carbohydrate structures and protein binding, and made important contributions in the biomedical area. His own articles in these Advances include the chemistry of streptomycin in Volume 3, the mechanisms of replacement reactions in Volume 9, and in Volume 50 a consideration of Emil Fischer s lock and key concept of enzyme specificity. 

The passing is noted with regret of three major figures in the carbohydrate world, George A. Jeffrey on February 13, 2000, Sumio Umezawa on March 30, 2000, and Raymond U. Lemieux on July 22,2000. All three were authors of important articles in this Series, and detailed obituaries are scheduled to appear in a future volume. 

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