Robert B. Woodward was arguably the greatest organic synthesis chemist of the twentieth century. He accomplished the total synthesis of several important natural products and pharmaceuticals. Total synthesis means that the molecule of interest--no matter how complex--is built directly from the smallest, most common compounds and is not just a derivation of a related larger molecule. In order to accomplish his work, Woodward combined physical chemistry principles, including quantum mechanics, with traditional reaction methods to design elaborate synthetic schemes. With Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann, he designed a set of rules for predicting reaction outcomes based on stereochemistry, the study of the spatial arrangements of molecules. Woodward won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1965.

Robert Burns Woodward was born in Boston on April 10, 1917, to Arthur and Margaret (Burns) Woodward. His father died when he was very young. Woodward obtained his first chemistry set while still a child and taught...