Werner E. Bachmann was born in Detroit, Michigan on November 13, 1901. After progressing through the school systems of Detroit he attended the University of Michigan and received his BS degree in Chemical Engineering in 1923. He then received his PhD degree from the University of Michigan in 1926 under the direction of Moses Gomberg.
Bachmann became a member of the Chemistry faculty at Michigan in 1925. He was promoted to Professor in 1939 and was named Moses Gomberg University Professor of Chemistry in 1947.
He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences. His awards included the King’s Medal by the British Government, a Certificate of Merit by the President of the United States, and the Naval Ordnance Award.
His research program was extensive and significant Particularly well known is his work with free radicals and molecular rearrangements, his synthesis of the first sex hormone, equilenin, his study of cancer-inducing compounds, his manufacturing process for the powerful explosive RDX, and his contributions to the chemistry of penicillin.
Bachmann Lectures
1957 W.S. Johnson, P.D. Bartlett
1958 J.D. Roberts
1959 R.B. Woodward
1960 J.C. Sheehan
1961 S. Winstein
1962 G. Stork
1963 A. Eschenmoser
1964 G. Hammond
1965 K. Ziegler
1966 G. Wittig
1968 C. Djerassi
1970 E.E. van Tamelen
1971 E.J. Corey
1972 G.H. Buchi
1973 R.E. Ireland
1974 F.H. Westheimer
1975 D.H.R. Barton
1976 R. Breslow
1977 N.J. Leonard
1979 D. Arigoni
1980 K. Nakanishi
1981 B.M. Trost
1982 S. Masamune
1983 H. Rapoport
1984 S. Danishefsky
1986 D. Seebach
1988 D.A. Evans
1989 L. Paquette
1990 C.H. Heathcock
1991 K.C. Nicolaou
1992 S.L. Schreiber
1993 K.B. Sharpless
1994 P.A. Wender
1995 L.E. Overman
1996 S.V. Ley
1997 Y. Kishi
1999 T. R. Cech
2000 R. Noyori
2001 R. H. Grubbs
2002 M.S. Brookhart
2003 D.L. Boger
2004 Peter B. Dervan
