Jean F. Normant (1936–2016)

Abstract

Jean F. Normant, professor emeritus at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, died on June 9, 2016 at the age of 80. He was internationally recognized in the field of organometallic chemistry applied to organic synthesis, including copper, manganese, and zinc derivatives. Professor Jean F. Normant died on June 9, 2016 at the age of 80. He was professor emeritus at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, and was internationally recognized in the field of organometallic chemistry applied to organic synthesis. Normant's many important contributions to synthetic methodology include his report from 1971 on a highly regio- and stereoselective syn addition of organocopper reagents to alkynes leading to alkenylcopper species that are key intermediates for the stereoselective preparation of a broad range of trisubstituted olefins. This carbocupration of alkynes led to many synthetic applications, including the total synthesis of insect pheromones. Furthermore, he developed a range of important copper(I)-catalyzed reactions that allow the diastereo- and enantioselective synthesis of complex organic molecules. Normant made key contributions in various other important fields such as organomanganese chemistry, where he showed the exceptional ability of organomanganese(II) reagents (RMnX) to undergo high-yielding acylation reactions with acid chlorides. He thoroughly investigated the chemistry of geminated bis-organometallic species of zinc and magnesium, as well as the reactivity of various lithium carbenoids. Normant contributed significantly to the field of organofluorine chemistry by preparing a range of new lithiated or zincated unsaturated fluorinated reagents, and noticed the exceptional thermal stability of zinc fluorinated carbenoids. He also carried out fundamental work on the configurational stability of benzylic and allenic zinc carbenoids, and developed novel elegant carbocyclization and enantioselective carbolithiation reactions. Normant was born on January 29, 1936, in Angers (Maine-et-Loire, France). He studied chemistry at the École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris, an elite chemistry school, and obtained his PhD at the Faculté des Sciences de Paris (Sorbonne) under the supervision of Charles Prévost in 1963. During his PhD, he studied the reactivity of Grignard reagents with organic halides in polar aprotic solvents. He was successively maître de conférences (lecturer) at the Université de Reims (1965–1969) and at the Université de Paris-Sorbonne (1969–1973). In 1973, he was made professor at the Université Pierre et Marie-Curie (UPMC; Paris VI), where he remained for the rest of his career and was made professor emeritus after his retirement in 2000. Normant's outstanding career was recognized by a range of international prizes, including awards from the Van ’t Hoff Foundation (1967), the Japanese Chemical Society (1977 and 1991), the UK Royal Society of Chemistry (2000), as well as French prizes such as the Prix Adrien (1963) and the Prix Lebel (1990) from the Société Chimique de France (SCF). He received two prizes from the French Académie des Sciences, namely the Prix Jungfleisch (1967) and Prix de l'Etat (1987), and also the silver medal of the CNRS (1979). He followed in the footsteps of his father Henri Normant by being made a member of the Académie des Sciences in 1993. Normant published more than 360 articles including important reviews, book chapters, and a text book on organic chemistry written in French together with his father (2nd edition 1968). His scientific work received more than 10 000 citations and has profoundly influenced organometallic chemistry. He supervised around 50 PhD students and created a school of organometallic chemistry at the UPMC, and many former co-workers progressed to academic positions at universities worldwide. Jean Normant was an exceptionally enthusiastic scientist, and a wonderfully inspirational and highly creative chemist with an exceptional knowledge of the chemical literature. He also had a unique approach to chemical reactivity in anticipating the behavior of new organometallic reagents. He shaped the field of organocopper chemistry for organic synthesis, and organocopper species derived from Grignard reagents are referred to as “Normant cuprates” in several standard textbooks. Normant was a passionate chemist and his enthusiasm for the subject was infectious. The daily coffee-break chemistry discussion with students and co-workers at 4 pm was an institution of Normant's laboratory and the highlight of the day. Many creative ideas originated in these discussions. Normant was a brilliant supervisor and colleague, who was profoundly human and showed great modesty and kindness. Although he was only moderately attracted to administrative responsibilities, he acted as a dedicated President of the Organic Chemistry Division of the SCF for some years. Jean Normant was married and had three children, and the death of his beloved wife Catherine a few years ago strongly affected him. He will be sadly missed by both the French and international scientific communities.