Alfred Hassner

Alfred Hassner
Born	1930
Citizenship	Israeli
Nationality	US-Israeli
Fields	Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Heterocycles
Institutions	Bar Ilan University
Alma mater	Vienna University of Technology University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Doctoral advisor	Norman H. Cromwell
Other academic advisors	Louis F. Fieser
Doctoral students	Clayton Heathcock
Known for	Small-ring heterocycles; Organic synthesis methodology

Alfred Hassner (Hebrew: אלפרד הסנר) (born 1930) is an internationally known organic chemist.

Biography

Alfred Hassner^[1][2] was born in Czernowitz and spent WWII in hiding while he lost his father; after the war he returned to study in Vienna and then immigrated to the USA where he continued his studies. In 1983 he moved with his wife Cyd and two children to Israel. Hassner is currently Emeritus Professor at Bar Ilan University.^[3]

Scientific career

After a postdoctoral at Harvard University, Hassner in 1957 joined the University of Colorado Boulder where he became full professor in 1966. In 1975 he was called to State University of New York Binghamton as Leading Professor and in 1983 he moved to Bar Ilan University in Israel. Hassner was visiting professor at Wuerzburg University, Stanford University, Weizmann Institute of Science, University of California Berkeley, University of Nijmegen, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, Kyushu Institute of Technology.

Research

Prof. Hassner’s research group has studied: Regioselective additions of pseudohalogens;^[4] Stereochemistry of reactions of azides^[5] and organic nitrogen functions; Development of catalysts^[6] like DMAP for direct esterification of hindered alcohols; Regiochemistry of 3+2 cycloadditions^[7] and of 2+2 ketene olefin cycloadditions;^[8] Reaction of 3-member-ring iodonium ions and of nitrilium ion^[9] intermediates; Reactions of steroids;^[10] Organosilanes,^[11] Photochemical protection,^[12] Medicinal chemistry,^[13] electrophilic amination.^[14] Hassner’s group pioneered in methodology for synthesis of small ring heterocycles such as aziridines,^[15] azirines,^[16] azetines,^[17] as well as of larger ring heterocycles including azepines. Recently they studied TiCl${\displaystyle _{4}}$ catalyzed reactions.^[18]

Awards

Hassner is the recipient of several awards and honors: von Humboldt Fellow; Lady Davis Fellow; Nat. Cancer Inst. Senior Fellow; Killam Award; Fulbright Fellow; Meyerhoff Fellow; Fellow Royal Society of Chemistry; Israel Chemical Society Prize of Excellence. Hassner served on the editorial board of J. Org. Chem.;^[19] Org. Prep. Proced. International;^[20] Heterocyclic Commun.; Trends in Org. Chem. and was elected president of the Israel Chemical Society.

Publications

Hassner is the author of 320 scientific publications; he was editor of scientific series: Advances in Asymmetric Synthesis^[21] (JAI press); Small Ring Heterocycles (Wiley);^[22] Topics in Heterocyclic Chemistry (Springer).^[23]

Books

• Hassner, Namboothiri (2012). Organic Syntheses Based on Name Reactions, a practical guide to 750 transformations. Elsevier; 3 edition (January 5, 2012). ISBN 978-0080966304.

References

1. John A. Soderquist (2005). "A Tribute to Prof. Alfred Hassner, Commemorative Issue in Honor of Prof. Alfred Hassner on the occasion of his 70th Anniversary" (PDF). ARKIVOC. 2001 (4): 1–4. doi:10.3998/ark.5550190.0002.401.
2. Hassner in Who's Who in Science and Engineering
3. Hassner's page at Bar Ilan Chemistry depertmant
4. J. Org. Chem. 1967, 32, 540; J. Org. Chem. 1969, 34, 2628.
5. Accts. Chem. Res. 1971, 4, 9.
6. Tetrahed 1978, 34, 2069; Tet, Lett. 1978, 48, 4475; Tet, Lett. 1979, 3811; J. Org. Chem. 2000, 65, 6368.
7. J. Org. Chem. 1991, 56, 2775; Synthesis 1997, 309; J. Org. Chem. 1997, 62, 485; Topics Current Chem. 2001, 216, 1; Pure Appl. Chem., 2000, 72, 1671.
8. Tet. Lett. 1968, 3921; J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1971, 93, 264.
9. Tet. Lett, 1966, 3119; J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1970, 92, 4379;
10. J. Org. Chem. 1966, 31, 1363.
11. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1980, 102, 1577; Tet. Lett. 1990, 31, 743
12. Synlett 2007, 1071.
13. Tet. Lett., 1994, 35, 2397; Tet. Lett. 2002, 43, 2529; Carbohydr. Res 2001, 333, 313.
14. Tet. Lett. 1982, 23, 699.
15. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1969, 91, 5046.
16. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1968, 90, 2869; J. Org. Chem. 1979, 44, 3861; Heterocycles, 1980, 14, 1517.
17. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1971, 93, 2051.
18. Adv. Synth. Catal. 2014, 356, 2661.
19. Journal of Organic Chemistry
20. Organic Preparations and Procedures International
21. Hassner, Alfred, ed. (February 1999). Advances in Asymmetric Synthesis, Volume 3. Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-7623-0106-5.
22. Hassner, Alfred, ed. (January 2008). Small Ring Heterocycles. Wiley, Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds: A Series Of Monographs. ISBN 9780471056249.
23. Hassner, Alfred, ed. (2008). Synthesis of Heterocycles via Cycloadditions II. Springer, Topics in Heterocyclic Chemistry. ISBN 978-3-540-78373-2.