Frederick D. Greene Papers

Frederick D. Greene (1927-2025) was an American physical organic chemist. Born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey on July 7, 1927, Greene lived in China in his early years, during which his father was a medical missionary with Yale-In-China. He and his family later lived in the Philippines and the French Concession of Shanghai, China, then returned to the United States in 1940.

Greene graduated from Phillips Andover Academy (1944), then entered Amherst College. His college education was interrupted by service in the United States Navy during World War II. After the war, Greene earned his B.A. in Chemistry from Amherst (1949) and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University (1952). After earning his Ph.D., he served as a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of California, Los Angeles (1952-1953).

In 1953, Greene joined the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Chemistry, where he enjoyed a long and distinguished career. He rose through the department’s hierarchy, serving as Instructor (1953-1955), Assistant Professor (1955-1958), Associate Professor (1958-1962) and Professor (1962-1995). At MIT, Greene’s research interests were in physical organic chemistry, studying the mechanisms of organic reactions and relation of structure to reactivity and became a noted expert on free radical reactions. He was also renowned for his abilities as a teacher, teaching organic chemistry courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Greene retired from MIT as Professor Emeritus in 1995 and remained affiliated with the institute until his death.

In addition to his faculty duties at MIT, Greene served as Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Organic Chemistry (1962-1988). He was also a member of Ouroboros, a private club of New England chemists, where he served as its Custodian of Archives during the club’s latter years of existence.

Frederick D. Greene authored and co-authored numerous science journal articles over the course of his career. He was an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Chemical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was also the recipient of several awards, which included his election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1965) and Honorary Doctorate from Amherst College (1969).

Frederick D. Greene passed away on March 22, 2025.

Sources

Baird, Karen. “Professor Emeritus Frederick Greene, influential chemist who focused on free radicals, dies at 97.” MIT News, March 31, 2025. https://news.mit.edu/2025/frederick-greene-professor-emeritus-chemistry-dies-0331.

Frederick D. Greene Papers, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.