Emanuele Paternò

Emanuele Paternò
Born	December 12, 1847
Died	January 17, 1935 (aged 87)
Institutions	University of Palermo, University of Torino, University of Rome, University of Marburg
Alma mater	University of Palermo
Doctoral advisor	Stanislao Cannizzaro
Known for	Paternò–Büchi reaction

Emanuele Paternò di Sessa was an Italian chemist, discoverer of the Paternò–Büchi reaction.

He was born as the Marquess di Sessa and studied at the University of Palermo with Stanislao Cannizzaro. In 1871 he became lecturer at the University of Torino, but returned to Palermo in the following year as Cannizzaro's successor. In 1892 he became a professor at the University of Rome. His main area of research was photochemistry, and discovered the Paternò–Büchi reaction in 1909.^[1] The reaction was improved by George Büchi, its other namesake, in 1954.^[2]

He was politically active. He was the mayor of Palermo (1890–1892) and a member of the regional parliament (1898–1914). He was also a member of the senate and vice president of the senate.

References

1. E. Paterno; G. Chieffi (1909). ".". Gazz. Chim. Ital. 39: 341.
2. G. Büchi; Charles G. Inman; E. S. Lipinsky (1954). "Light-catalyzed Organic Reactions. I. The Reaction of Carbonyl Compounds with 2-Methyl-2-butene in the Presence of Ultraviolet Light". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 76 (17): 4327–4331. doi:10.1021/ja01646a024.