1. Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Box 351700, Seattle WA 98195‐1700 (USA), Fax: (+1)?206‐685‐8665 http://faculty.washington.edu/annkurth/;2. Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnolgie Avanzate and Nano‐SiSTeMI Interdisciplinary Centre, Università del Piemonte Orientale “Amadeo Avagadro”, Via V. Bellini 25/G, 15100 Alessandria (Italy)
Abstract:
A reputation restored : Eligio Perucca (see photo) first observed the enantioselective adsorption of a racemic mixture to a chiral crystal (NaClO3) in Turin in 1919. However, this milestone in enantioselective chemistry and chiroptics went unnoticed. Identified previously as a coward who refused in 1941 to supervise the research of the budding stereochemist Primo Levi because of the race laws, Perucca was opposed to the fascist regime.
