An Interview with Professor Kenneth Raymond on Supramolecular Chemistry: Symmetry Based Cluster Formation

Abstract

A n I nterview with P rofessor K enneth R aymond on S upramolecular C hemistry : S ymmetry B ased C luster F ormation B S J Manraj Gill, Yana Petri, Tiffany Nguyen, Sabrina Berger Dr. Kenneth Raymond is a Chancellor’s Professor in the Department of Chemistry at University of California, Berkeley. Professor Raymond has been interested in a variety of topics in bioinorganic chemistry and coordination chemistry. In this interview, we focus on one of his specialties, the assembly of highly symmetric supramolecular clusters. We discuss not only the role of symmetry in the Figure #1. Dr. Kenneth formation of such molecular Raymond, Chancellor’s Professor of Chemistry structures but also the application of these clusters in catalytic chemistry. Berkeley Scientific Journal: How did you get involved in research in chemistry? Kenneth Raymond: I liked chemistry since I was 12 years old. I was 12 years old when I got my first chemistry set. My mother thought I was too young when I wanted it two years earlier. In those days, real chemicals came in those chemistry sets! In high school, I had a really good chemistry teacher who also taught physics. He let me have free run of the lab for making standard solutions. Aside from almost killing myself a couple of times, that was a really good experience! Also, it got me into Reed College, which turned my life around. In my first two years of high school, I had a math teacher that was sort of egg shaped and wore these purple dresses. She would be up next to the chalkboard and would get this perfect white ring around her. And she looked just like an Easter egg. She thought I was rude and I’m sure that’s true. She gave me bad grades for behavior but all of the people I was tutoring in the class were getting A’s. So, by my reckoning at the time, I thought I was winning this battle. In my junior year, I decided I didn’t want to be a juvenile delinquent; I wanted to be an intellectual. And that turned out to be more productive. BSJ: And was it at Reed that you began focusing on chemistry? KR: I started doing undergraduate research at Reed after my freshman year. And Reed had this undergraduate thesis. It’s up there on the shelf but I won’t show it to you, it’s too embarrassing. An undergraduate research thesis was great preparation for the PhD. The PhD was almost easy by comparison. My best friend at Northwestern Graduate School and I were probably the two best-prepared students. He was from Harvard; I was from Reed. So I was in a hurry; I went straight from graduate school to my job here. I have never applied for a job in my life! BSJ: Really? KR: It was a different world. My PhD supervisor was a very well known inorganic chemist at Northwestern. He pulled me into his office at the end of my second year and said, “Well Ken, things are going fast for you this year. What do you want to do in the future? Not industry right?” I said, “I don’t think so.” “Not the national labs?” “No.” “So you want to be an academic?” “Yeah, what do I do?” “Don’t worry I’ll take care of it.” Next thing you know, I get a phone call from Caltech, Berkeley, and Riverside. So I went off to give talks. Harry Gray, who just turned 80, introduced me at my interview at Caltech and I was so nervous—I had just turned 25. I got up and said, “It is very nice to be here at MIT.” True story! He thought it was a joke and everybody laughed. Things got easier after that and I got the job of my dreams and I kept it. Very dull job history; I’ve been here my whole career! Figure #2. The molecular structure of ferritin 35 • B erkeley S cientific J ournal • S ymmetry • F all 2015 • V olume 20 • I ssue 1