A building that helped launch generations of scientists, including Nobel laureates, on their careers of discovery has joined the Hall of Fame of notable venues, being named a National Historic Chemical Landmark by the American Chemical Society (ACS). That’s the topic of an article in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the ACS, the world’s largest scientific society.

Image courtesy of the American Chemical Society

Susan J. Ainsworth, C&EN senior editor, explains that the ACS recognized the R.B. Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry building on the Purdue University’s West Lafayette, Ind., campus for the 80-plus years of service as a center for education and cutting-edge research. Generations of chemists and chemical engineers have studied in the building under renowned faculty, including Nobel Laureates Herbert C. Brown and Ei-ichi Negishi. In her remarks at the April 26 ceremony at the building, ACS President Marinda Li Wu noted that Purdue’s faculty at the Wetherill Laboratory have developed tools to make complex molecules that are used in everyday products, such as medicines and plastics. She also presented Purdue officials with a commemorative plaque.

ACS launched the National Historic Chemical Landmarks program in 1992 to enhance public appreciation for the contributions of the chemical sciences to modern life in the U.S. and to encourage a sense of pride in the practitioners of those sciences. For more information about the program, visit www.acs.org/landmarks. Read about a consortium creating science-themed crossword puzzles, including one about the Wetherill landmark, at http://cenm.ag/puzzle.