John Ulric Nef

Infobox_Scientist
name = John Ulric Nef


image_width =
caption = John Ulric Nef
birth_date = birth date|1862|6|14
birth_place = Herisau, Switzerland
residence =
nationality =
death_date = death date and age|1915|8|13|1862|6|14
death_place = Carmel, United States
field =
work_institution = Purdue University (1887–89)
Clark University (1889–92)
University of Chicago (1892–1915).
alma_mater = Harvard University,
University of Munich
doctoral_advisor = Adolf von Baeyer
doctoral_students =
known_for = Nef reaction
prizes =
religion =
footnotes =

John Ulric Nef (Johann Ulrich Nef) was a Swiss-born American chemist and the discoverer of the Nef reaction.

Life

His parents emigrated from Switzerland to the United states where Nef studied chemistry at Harvard University until 1884. Upon graduation, he joined Adolf von Baeyer at the University of Munich where he received his Ph.D. in 1887.

He was a Professor at Purdue University from 1887 till 1889 and at Clark University from 1889 till 1892. He spent the rest of his academic career at the University of Chicago.

His son John Ulric Nef (1899-1988) became a Professor of Economic History and published several books. [ [http://www.jstor.org/view/0040165x/sp030125/03x5179e/0 John U. Nef (1899-1988)] ]

Work

The discoverery of the Nef reaction and the papers about divalent carbon (carbenes) were his major achievements.

References

[http://ead.lib.uchicago.edu/view.xqy?id=ICU.SPCL.NEFJOHNSR&c=n Biographical Note from the University of Chicago] [http://www.chemistry.msu.edu/Portraits/PortraitsHH_Detail.asp?HH_LName=Nef Picture of Nef at MSU]