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Roeland Nolte
Born
Roeland Johannes Maria Nolte

(1944-12-16)16 December 1944
Bergh, German-occupied Netherlands
Died15 February 2024(2024-02-15) (aged 79)
Nijmegen, Netherlands
EducationRuimzicht Gymnasium
University of Utrecht (Master's, Ph.D.)
AwardsMember of the Royal Belgian Academy of Sciences (2000)
Eli Burstein Lecturer in Materials Science, University of Pennsylvania (2003)
First Royal Academy of Science Professorship (2003)
Order of the Netherlands Lion (2004)
Cornforth Lectureship at the University of Sydney (2005)
Izatt-Christensen Award (2006)
Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (2006)
Merck-Karl Pfister Lecturer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2007)
Member of the Academia Europaea (2013)
Twice received an ERC Advanced Grant (2017)
Linstead Life-time Achievement Award (2018)
Scientific career
FieldsOrganic chemistry
Biochemistry
Supramolecular chemistry
Polymer chemistry
InstitutionsRadboud University Nijmegen
Thesis Synthesis and isomerization of polyisocyanides  (1973)
Doctoral advisorWiendelt Drenth
Other academic advisorsDonald J. Cram
Websitewww.ru.nl/science/molecularnanotechnology/

Roeland J. M. Nolte (16 December 1944 – 15 February 2024) was a Dutch chemist, known for his work in the fields of organic chemistry, biochemistry, polymer chemistry, and supramolecular chemistry. He was an emeritus Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences professor[1][2] and an emeritus professor of organic chemistry at Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Until his death, he held a special chair, i.e. professor of molecular nanotechnology, at Radboud University. Nolte was considered to be one of the pioneers of the field of supramolecular chemistry, which encompasses the design and synthesis of new chemical structures from low molecular weight compounds and biopolymers using non-covalent interactions. He published many studies on supramolecular assembly and biomimetic catalysts, which find applications in the field of nanomaterials and medicine.[3][4][5]

Education

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Nolte attended Gymnasium Ruimzicht in Doetinchem, where he graduated in 1963. Thereafter, he studied chemistry at the University of Utrecht, where he received his master's degree in 1969.[6] He continued his studies at the same university, earning a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry on the synthesis and properties of a new type of polymer in 1973 (supervisor Wiendelt Drenth).[7] After a postdoctoral stage with Nobel laureate Donald J. Cram at UCLA, he joined the Faculty of Science of Utrecht University as an assistant professor.[6][8]

Career

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Nolte started his career as an assistant professor at the University of Utrecht and was promoted to associate professor in 1979.[6] In 1987, he moved to Radboud University in Nijmegen as a full professor of organic chemistry.[6] Nolte was appointed adjunct professor of supramolecular chemistry at the Eindhoven University of Technology in 1994.[6] In 2002, he became the first director of the new Institute for Molecules and Materials at Radboud University in Nijmegen, which he remained until his retirement in 2010.[6] In honour of his contributions to science, he was awarded a special Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Professorship in 2003.[1][2] Nolte retired in 2010, after which he received a special university professorship in molecular nanotechnology at Radboud University.[9]

Work

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Nolte's research focused on supramolecular systems with special properties and functions. These are designed based on the principles of organic chemistry and polymer chemistry, usually by first synthesizing molecular building blocks of different shapes and properties, which are subsequently self-assembled in a second step to form functional nanostructures.[2][10] Self-assembly takes place by a combination of weak (supramolecular) interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, pi-pi-stacking interactions, van der Waals interactions, and coordination bonds.[5] The designed structures find applications in the fields of materials science and catalysis. Nature was often used as a source of inspiration.

Very early on in his career, Nolte discovered the first example of a polymer with a stable helical structure, called an atropisomeric polymer, i.e. a polymer which cannot rotate around its main chain carbon atoms.[11] He separated the left-handed and right-handed polymer helices and studied the mechanism of their formation, which was catalyzed by nickel ions and found to take place via a new mechanism, i.e. a polymerization reaction that takes place in a circular fashion around the metal center (merry-go-round mechanism).[11] Later studies on atropisomeric polymers derived from isocyanopeptides revealed that these compounds formed superhelical structures by a supramolecular process of hierarchical self-assembly.[12][13]

Other polyisocyanide derivatives formed hydrogels at very low concentrations, displaying strain stiffening, i.e. they become stronger when a force is applied, a property that previously had only been found in natural materials.[14][15][16]

Nolte pioneered the assembly of disc-like molecules, such as porphyrins and phthalocyanines into long supramolecular polymers. Some of these formed superhelical structures by a process in which information is transferred stepwise from the building blocks to the polymer chains and subsequently to the helical assembly of polymers.[17][18][19] These discs could also be used to generate layers for the alignment of liquid-crystalline molecules by a process of self-assembly and aided assembly.[20][21]

Other research activities by Nolte involved the chemical modification of viruses, for which he coined the name chemical virology.[22] In these viruses he encapsulated enzymes, allowing him to study their activities in a confined environment by single molecule techniques.[23] Furthermore, he used viruses as building blocks for the synthesis of nanomaterials.[22] More recently, he developed a synthetic catalyst that can move along a DNA chain and cleave it.[24][25][26] He also designed molecular machines that can encode digital information into single polymer chains in the form of chiral chemical groups.[2][27][28]

Death

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Nolte died in Nijmegen on 15 February 2024, at the age of 79.[29]

Awards

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Nolte received numerous lecture awards,[30] such as the Cornforth lectureship at the University of Sydney,[30] the Eli-Burnstein lectureship at the University of Pennsylvania,[31] and the Merck-Carl Pfister visiting professorship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[32] He won several prizes, including the first Royal Academy of Science Professorship (2003),[1] the Izatt-Christensen Award (2006) for his studies on macrocyclic and supramolecular chemistry,[33] and the Linstead Life-time Achievement Award for his pioneering work on supramolecular phthalocyanine systems.[34] In 2006 he was elected a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.[35] He was member of the Royal Belgian Academy of Sciences,[36] and the Academia Europaea.[6] He was furthermore awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Netherlands Chemical Society.[37] In 2004 he became a Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion.[38] After his retirement, he twice received a prestigious ERC Advanced Grant to study the encoding of information into polymers by supramolecular catalytic machines.[39][40][41]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Akademie benoemt superprofessoren, Volkskrant, 31 mei 2003". de Volkskrant.
  2. ^ a b c d ""Minimachientjes bouwen met moleculen", Interview with Roeland Nolte by Liesbeth Koenen, Akademie Nieuws, October 2003"". www.liesbethkoenen.nl.
  3. ^ Mosher, Dave (27 February 2012). "Video: First Nanorockets Might Shuttle Drugs, Robo-Surgeons". Wired – via www.wired.com.
  4. ^ "Herbert Blankesteijn, Katalyserende knijpers en moleculaire vazen, NRC, 17 maart 1994".
  5. ^ a b "'Voorlopig zie ik nog geen kans' | C2W". www.c2w.nl.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Academy of Europe: Nolte Roeland". www.ae-info.org.
  7. ^ "Roeland J.M. Nolte, Synthese en isomerisatie van polyisocyaniden (Synthesis and isomerization of polyisocyanides), thesis Utrecht 1973".
  8. ^ In Memoriam Prof. Roeland J.M. Nolte
  9. ^ "Retirement interview with Roeland Nolte" (PDF).
  10. ^ "Roeland Nolte explains the philosophy of his work. Video recording of interview on May 6, 2011". 23 May 2016.
  11. ^ a b Nenajdenko, Valentine G, ed. (2012). G. Nenajdenko (24-8-2012) "Isocyanide Chemistry: Applications in Synthesis and Material Science", Chapter 16 Polyisocyanides, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Doi:10.1002/9783527652532. doi:10.1002/9783527652532. ISBN 9783527652532.
  12. ^ Cornelissen, J. J.; Donners, J. J.; De Gelder, R.; Graswinckel, W. S.; Metselaar, G. A.; Rowan, A. E.; Sommerdijk, N. A.; Nolte, R. J. (2001). "This Week in Science: "Building β-Helical Polymers"". Science. 293 (5530): 676–680. doi:10.1126/science.1062224. PMID 11474106. S2CID 27109401.
  13. ^ Cornelissen, J. J.; Donners, J. J.; De Gelder, R.; Graswinckel, W. S.; Metselaar, G. A.; Rowan, A. E.; Sommerdijk, N. A.; Nolte, R. J. (2001). "beta -Helical polymers from isocyanopeptides". Science. 293 (5530): 676–80. doi:10.1126/science.1062224. PMID 11474106. S2CID 27109401.
  14. ^ Gardel, M. L. (2013). "Materials science: Synthetic polymers with biological rigidity". Nature. 493 (7434): 618–9. Bibcode:2013Natur.493..618G. doi:10.1038/nature11855. PMID 23354043. S2CID 38794910.
  15. ^ Kouwer, P. H.; Koepf, M.; Le Sage, V. A.; Jaspers, M.; Van Buul, A. M.; Eksteen-Akeroyd, Z. H.; Woltinge, T.; Schwartz, E.; Kitto, H. J.; Hoogenboom, R.; Picken, S. J.; Nolte, R. J.; Mendes, E.; Rowan, A. E. (2013). "Responsive biomimetic networks from polyisocyanopeptide hydrogels". Nature. 493 (7434): 651–5. Bibcode:2013Natur.493..651K. doi:10.1038/nature11839. hdl:2066/111406. PMID 23354048. S2CID 4414023.
  16. ^ "Noviocell".
  17. ^ Engelkamp, H.; Middelbeek, S.; Nolte, R. J. (1999). "This week in Science: "Tuning Chirality"". Science. 284 (5415): 785–788. doi:10.1126/science.284.5415.785. PMID 10221906.
  18. ^ Engelkamp, H.; Middelbeek, S.; Nolte, R. J. (1999). "Self-Assembly of Disk-Shaped Molecules to Coiled-Coil Aggregates with Tunable Helicity". Science. 284 (5415): 785–8. doi:10.1126/science.284.5415.785. PMID 10221906.
  19. ^ "NRC Handelsblad 1-5-1999, Rob van den Berg "Tale of two twists" ("Vanzelf haargel. Moleculen vormen spontaan kubussen en wenteltrappen"".
  20. ^ "This Week in Science: "Lining Up at the Front", Discussion of paper by R. van Hameren et al". Science. 314 (5804): 1349. December 2006. doi:10.1126/science.2006.314.5804.twis. S2CID 242264525.
  21. ^ Van Hameren, R.; Schön, P.; Van Buul, A. M.; Hoogboom, J.; Lazarenko, S. V.; Gerritsen, J. W.; Engelkamp, H.; Christianen, P. C.; Heus, H. A.; Maan, J. C.; Rasing, T.; Speller, S.; Rowan, A. E.; Elemans, J. A.; Nolte, R. J. (2006). "Macroscopic hierarchical surface patterning of porphyrin trimers via self-assembly and dewetting". Science. 314 (5804): 1433–6. Bibcode:2006Sci...314.1433V. doi:10.1126/science.1133004. hdl:2066/35687. PMID 17138897. S2CID 30108012.
  22. ^ a b Kostiainen, M. A.; Kasyutich, O.; Cornelissen, J. J.; Nolte, R. J. (2010). "Self-assembly and optically triggered disassembly of hierarchical dendron-virus complexes". Nature Chemistry. 2 (5): 394–9. Bibcode:2010NatCh...2..394K. doi:10.1038/nchem.592. PMID 20414241.
  23. ^ Comellas-Aragonès, M.; Engelkamp, H.; Claessen, V. I.; Sommerdijk, N. A.; Rowan, A. E.; Christianen, P. C.; Maan, J. C.; Verduin, B. J.; Cornelissen, J. J.; Nolte, R. J. (2007). "A virus-based single-enzyme nanoreactor". Nature Nanotechnology. 2 (10): 635–9. Bibcode:2007NatNa...2..635C. doi:10.1038/nnano.2007.299. hdl:2066/35237. PMID 18654389. S2CID 226798.
  24. ^ Prins, L. J.; Scrimin, P. (2013). "Processive catalysis; "thread and cut"". Nature Chemistry. 5 (11): 899–900. Bibcode:2013NatCh...5..899P. doi:10.1038/nchem.1785. PMID 24153363.
  25. ^ Van Dongen, S. F.; Clerx, J.; Nørgaard, K.; Bloemberg, T. G.; Cornelissen, J. J.; Trakselis, M. A.; Nelson, S. W.; Benkovic, S. J.; Rowan, A. E.; Nolte, R. J. (2013). "A clamp-like biohybrid catalyst for DNA oxidation". Nature Chemistry. 5 (11): 945–51. Bibcode:2013NatCh...5..945V. doi:10.1038/nchem.1752. hdl:2066/117355. PMID 24153373.
  26. ^ "Chemists slide a splitting catalyst over DNA for the first time". 22 February 2024.
  27. ^ ""Alle data van de wereld op een draadje plastic", Trouw, Februari 10, 2018".
  28. ^ "It is my dream to construct a molecular computer, interview with Roeland Nolte by Mariska van Sprundel". 22 February 2024.
  29. ^ "Overlijden KNCV-erelid Roeland Nolte". KNCV. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  30. ^ a b "Information on cv of Roeland Nolte".
  31. ^ "Past Burstein and Maddin Series Lectures, The Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter, University of Pennsylvania".
  32. ^ "MIT Annual report 2006-2007" (PDF).
  33. ^ "Izatt Christensen award to Roeland Nolte".
  34. ^ "Linstead Award to Roeland Nolte".
  35. ^ "Roeland Nolte" (in Dutch). Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022.
  36. ^ "Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie van Belgie voor Wetenschappen en Kunsten, Roeland Nolte".
  37. ^ "Honorary members Royal Netherlands Chemical Society".
  38. ^ "Prof. dr. Roeland J.M. Nolte". Radboud University. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  39. ^ "Chemist Roeland Nolte receives his second ERC Advanced grant".
  40. ^ "roeland-nolte nieuws/". 31 March 2017.
  41. ^ "ERC Advanced Grants for six KNAW members".
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