It was entirely appropriate that the fine statesman of science, Friedrich Cramer (Gottingen) had the last word today. His own articles in these Advances include the chemistry of streptomycin in Volume 3, the mechanisms of replacement reactions in Volume 9, and in Volume 50 a consideration of Emil Fischer s lock and key concept of enzyme specificity. During a remarkably productive career extending over more than half a century, Lemieux pioneered the application of NMR spectroscopy in chemistry, developed rational approaches for glycosidic coupling, made major contributions to our understanding of three-dimensional carbohydrate structures and protein binding, and made important contributions in the biomedical area. ![]() Lemieux, is recalled here in a sensitive account by Bundle (Edmonton). The life and work of one of the greatest carbohydrate scientists of our time, Raymond U. Hudson, was devoted to the Fischer cyanohydrin synthesis and the consequences of asymmetric induction. It may be noted that the very first article in Volume 1 of Advances, by Claude S. Lemieux and Spohr (Alberta) here trace our understanding of enzyme specificity in broad perspective as they assess Emil Fischer s lock and key concept advanced a century ago in relation to current ideas of molecular recognition. In other words, the key must fit the lock. Noteworthy is the conclusion that stereospecificity is something not just incidental, but essential to enzyme catalysis. Comforth (56) provided a fine overview of asymmetry and enzyme action in his Nobel prize lecture. Many other developments could have been chosen, as can be appreciated from recent reviews by Hehre (54) and by Svensson (55). ![]() It is seen that his vision has become unequivocally established. As already mentioned, the glucoamylase project was chosen to illustrate Emil Fischer s lock and key concept for enzyme specificity.
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