Tiruvenkata Rajendra Seshadri, Indian phytochemist (Kulitalai, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu 03 February 1900 – 27 September 1975)

ACHIEVEMENTS  

Published about 1,200 papers

Discovered many chemicals from plants

Isolated and established structures of flavones, isoflavones and anthocyanins

Carried out pioneering work on synthesis of ooxygen heterocycles

Elucidated structures of many compounds such as gossytrin and related pigments, pedicinin, pedicellic acid and related compounds, pedaliine, mangiferine, dalbergine, latifoline, ferreirine and homoferreirine, pongamol, karanjine, auranetine, prudomestine (1964), nepritin (1970), cupressulflavone, thelephoric acid, virensic acid, tingenone, enhydrin, santaline, carajurin, alpha terthienyl methanol and others

Obtained total synthesis of gossypetine, quectagenine, khelline, pterocarpine, rotenoids, cyanomaclurine, pedaletine, darmanacanthal and related anthraquinones

Isolated the first natural isoflavone (padmakastein) from Prunus puddum

Between methods developed the technique of O-methylation of phenols using dimethylsulphate, selective demethylation, C-methylation, C-prenylation, the nuclear oxidation, involving removal  of a hydroxyl group (1940),  nuclear reduction and Elbs-Seshadri oxidation (1947)

Developed many reagents and synthetic procedures

Developed a way to synthesize flavonoid pedalitin

Developed a convenient method for obtaining gossypol

Discovered several new compounds, established their structures and effected syntheses of lichenic chemicals 

Suggested schemes for the biogenesis of many plant secondary metabolites

Identified neoflavonoids and suggested the correct biogenetic pathway for them

A new group of polyphenols of woods, neoflavonoids. Proc. Annu Session Ceylon Assoc. Adv. Science 22:193-201, 1966

With A.C. Jain & K.R. Sreenivasan. A new synthesis of flavonols of the quercetagenine series

With R. Padmasani. New reagents for the synthesis of depsides. Tetrahedron 21:3531-6, 1965.

With N, Narasimachari. A new effect of hydrogen bond formation. Proc. Indian Acad. Sciences 27 A: 223-239, 1948.  

With A.K. Ganguly & P. Subramanian. A convenient method of preparation of cyanidin chloride from (+) catechin and (-) epicatechin. Proc. Indian Acad. Of Sciences 46:25, 1957. 

Structure and synthesis of glabrachromene, a new constituent of Pongamia glabra. Indian J. Chem. 10:585, 1972

Cupressuflavone, a new biflavonyl pigment. Tetrahedron 23:397-404, 1967 

With M.S. Sood. New synthesis of linear furocoumarins: psoralen, xanthtoxin and 8-acetylpsoralen. Indian J. Chem. 1:291, 1963

With O.P. Mittal. Demethoxykanugin, a new crystalline compound from Pongamia glabra. J. Chem. Soc. 2176, 1956   

Contributed significantly to knowledge of the chemistry of tropical lichens

Nobel Lecturer (1930) & Chemistry Nobel Prize nominee (1966)

LINKS

http://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbm/article-pdf/doi/10.1098/rsbm.1979.0018/909113/rsbm.1979.0018.pdf

http://www.ias.ac.in/resonance/Feb2004/pdf/Feb2004ArticleInaBox.pdf