John C. Sheehan papers
Scope and Contents of the Collection
Sheehan's work on synthetic penicillin is documented in laboratory notebooks, graphs of spectral analyses, and in his book The Enchanted Ring: The Untold Story of Penicillin (1982). His research is also described in copies of journal articles, talks he gave between 1952 and 1989, and patent files. The collection includes a biography of Sheehan, correspondence with pharmaceutical companies he consulted for, correspondence with colleagues and professional organizations, and correspondence with his students.
Dates
- Creation: 1956 - 1989
Creator
- Sheehan, John C. (Person)
Access note
This collection is open.
Conditions Governing Use
Access to collections in the Department of Distinctive Collections is not authorization to publish. Please see the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy for permission information. Copyright of some items in this collection may be held by respective creators, not by the donor of the collection or MIT.
Biography
John Clark Sheehan, 1915-1992, BS 1932, Battle Creek College; PhD in organic chemistry, 1941, University of Michigan, came to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1946 as assistant professor of chemistry. He became associate professor in 1949, professor of organic chemistry in 1952, and professor emeritus and senior lecturer in 1977. He was a scientific advisor to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson from 1961 through 1965 and served on a number of presidential advisory committees. His work on penicillin chemistry culminated in the invention of synthetic penicillin in 1957. He also did research on the synthesis of beta-lactams, amino acids, peptides, alkaloids, and steroids, and in 1941 helped develop the large-scale method for manufacturing the high explosive RDX (Cyclonite).
Extent
68 Cubic Feet (68 record cartons)
Language of Materials
English
Location
Materials are stored off-site. Advance notice is required for use.
Processing Information note
Some collection descriptions are based on legacy data and may be incomplete or contain inaccuracies. Description may change pending verification. Please contact the MIT Department of Distinctive Collections if you notice any errors or discrepancies.
Subject
- Sheehan, John C. (Person)
- Title
- Preliminary Inventory to the Papers of John C. Sheehan
- Status
- Ready For Review
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
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Repository Details
Part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Libraries. Department of Distinctive Collections Repository
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries
Building 14N-118
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge MA 02139-4307 US
distinctive-collections@mit.edu