John Robert Wiseman, professor emeritus of chemistry, died peacefully July 30 at the age of 88.
Wiseman was a prominent figure in the field of organic chemistry, renowned for his groundbreaking research and influential contributions. He also was a dedicated and talented educator. He taught virtually every organic chemistry course offered during his tenure, covering topics from fundamentals of organic chemistry to advanced laboratory techniques and guiding his graduate students in their research.
Born May 4, 1936, in Patriot, Ohio, Wiseman’s early education was shaped by his parents, dedicated educators who instilled in him a passion for learning.
His academic journey began at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he studied pharmaceutical sciences. He subsequently served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service, working as a pharmacist at USPHS hospitals in Massachusetts and on the then-called Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona.
He resumed his academic journey in 1960, taking graduate-level chemistry courses at Colorado University. The following year, he began his Ph.D. studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and subsequently followed his thesis adviser, Eugene Van Tamelen, to Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. After earning his Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1964, Wiseman accepted a National Science Foundation postdoctoral position at the University of California, Berkeley, under the auspices of William Dauben.
Wiseman joined the University of Michigan’s Department of Chemistry in 1966 and was promoted to full professor in 1976. His tenure was marked by notable research that challenged established norms in organic chemistry.
His most influential work involved challenging Bredt’s Rule, which asserted that double bonds could not exist at the bridgehead of bicyclic systems due to strain. Wiseman’s synthesis of bicyclo[3.3.1]non-1-ene, a compound with high strain, provided compelling evidence that such structures could indeed be stable. This pivotal research overturned decades of scientific consensus and opened new avenues for exploring and characterizing compounds that defied Bredt’s Rule.
His subsequent research identifying and synthesizing additional “Bredt’s Rule violating” compounds resulted in numerous articles published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. His contributions significantly advanced the field of physical and synthetic organic chemistry, demonstrating the limitations of the rule and expanding the understanding of molecular stability.
In addition to his academic research and teaching, Wiseman was a consultant for Parke-Davis in Ann Arbor, where he contributed to the advancement of complex antibiotic synthesis, including tetracyclines.
Wiseman retired in 2001 and embarked on a full and active life, volunteering generously in local organizations, attaining Bronze Life Master status in bridge, and traveling extensively domestically and internationally.
Wiseman is survived by his beloved wife, Carolyn; son, David Lowell Wiseman and his wife, Teresa Wiseman; daughter, Barbara Morgan and her husband, William David Morgan; daughter, Kathryn Wiseman and her husband, Stephen Brian Swanekamp; and his “German son,” former exchange student Michael Schröder of Hamburg, Germany. He also leaves 15 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
— Submitted by the Wiseman family
