Fenn, John B.

Fenn, John B.

▪ American scientist
born June 15, 1917, New York, New York, U.S.

      American scientist who, with Tanaka Koichi and Kurt Wüthrich (Wüthrich, Kurt), won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2002 for developing techniques to identify and analyze proteins and other large biological molecules.

      Fenn received a Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale University in 1940. He then spent more than a decade working for various companies before joining Princeton University in 1952. In 1967 he moved to Yale, where he became professor emeritus in 1987. Fenn took a post as research professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in 1994.

      Fenn's prizewinning research expanded the applications of mass spectrometry (MS), an analytic technique used in many fields of science since the early 20th century. MS can identify unknown compounds in minute samples of material, determine the amounts of known compounds, and help deduce molecular formulas of compounds. For decades scientists had employed MS on small and medium-sized molecules, but they also hoped to use it to identify large molecules such as proteins. After the genetic code was deciphered and gene sequences were explored, the study of proteins and how they interact inside cells took on great importance.

      A requirement of MS is that samples be in the form of a gas of ions, or electrically charged molecules. Molecules such as proteins posed a problem because existing ionization techniques broke down their three-dimensional structure. Fenn developed a way to convert samples of large molecules into gaseous form without such degradation. In the late 1980s he originated electrospray ionization, a technique that involves injecting a solution of the sample into a strong electric field, which disperses it into a fine spray of charged droplets. As each droplet shrinks by evaporation, the electric field on its surface becomes intense enough to toss individual molecules from the droplet, forming free ions ready for analysis with MS. Fenn's electrospray ionization has proved to be a highly versatile technique, and it has been used in the development of pharmaceuticals and the analyzation of foodstuffs for harmful substances.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Fenn, John — • Born at Montacute near Wells in Somersetshire; d. 27 Dec., 1615. He was the eldest brother of Ven. James Fenn, the martyr, and Robert Fenn, the confessor Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Fenn, John      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • John Bennett Fenn — John B. Fenn John B. Fenn John Bennett Fenn (né le 15 juin 1917 à New York), est un chimiste américain qui a obtenu en 2002 avec Koichi Tanaka le prix Nobel de chimie pour leur développement des méthodes de désorption par ionisation douce pour… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • John Fenn —     John Fenn     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► John Fenn     Born at Montacute near Wells in Somersetshire; d. 27 Dec., 1615. He was the eldest brother of Ven. James Fenn, the martyr, and Robert Fenn, the confessor. After being a chorister at Wells… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • John B. Fenn — Dr. John B. Fenn (2005) John Bennett Fenn (* 15. Juni 1917 in New York City; † 10. Dezember 2010 in Richmond, Virginia[1]) war ein US amerikanischer Chemiker, der 2002 gemeinsam mit …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Bennett Fenn — Dr. John B. Fenn John Bennett Fenn (* 15. Juni 1917 in New York City) ist ein amerikanischer Chemiker, der 2002 gemeinsam mit Koichi Tanaka für die Entwicklung von Methoden zur Identifikation und Strukturanalyse von biologischen Makromolekülen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Fenn — Dr. John B. Fenn John Bennett Fenn (* 15. Juni 1917 in New York City) ist ein amerikanischer Chemiker, der 2002 gemeinsam mit Koichi Tanaka für die Entwicklung von Methoden zur Identifikation und Strukturanalyse von biologischen Makromolekülen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Fenn — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Pour les articles homonymes, voir Fenn. John Fenn peut faire référence à : John B. Fenn (1917 2010), chimiste américain John Fenn, pirate du XVIIIème …   Wikipédia en Français

  • John Fenn (pirate) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Fenn. John Fenn (mort en mai 1723) est un pirate du XVIIIe siècle. Il a accompagné le Capitaine Bartholomew Roberts puis, plus brièvement, Thomas Anstis. Sources (en) Cet article est partiellement ou en… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Fenn — typically appears as a surname. Occasionally it appears as a middle name, pen name or name of a fictional character.Notable people with surname Fenn;born in China * Henry Courtenay FennH. C. Fenn is the son of C. H. Fenn] (1894 ndash;1978),… …   Wikipedia

  • John B. Fenn — John Bennett Fenn Naissance 15 juin 1917 New York, État de New York (États Unis) Décès 10 décembre 2010 …   Wikipédia en Français

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