Zoltan Hajos


Zoltan George Hajos is a Hungarian-born and trained American organic chemist. Originally an academic in his native Budapest, then an industrial chemist in the pharmaceutical industry, he is known for the Hajos–Parrish–Eder–Sauer–Wiechert reaction.

Biography

Chemistry training

Hajos studied chemistry at the Technical University of Budapest, in Hungary, completing an M.Sc. in 1947, and his doctoral work under Zoltan Csuros of the Institute of Organic Chemical Technology in 1950.

Early academic career

Hajos remained there until accepting a position as assistant professor in organic chemistry at the TU Budapest in 1948, where he stayed until 1952, then as Lecturer at the University of Veszprem, returning as a Research Associate at the Institute of Organic Chemistry at TU Budapest in 1953. With backlash following the 1956 Revolution in October, 1956, Hajos left TU Budapest and communist Hungary for the United States, where he took a position as a research associate in organic chemistry, a senior postdoctoral-level position, in the Department of Chemistry at Princeton University, beginning in 1957.

Second academic and pharmaceutical periods

Hajos accepted a chemistry position with the Pharmaceutical Research Institute of Hoffmann-La Roche, a pharmaceutical company, in Nutley, New Jersey, in 1960. He remained in that position until beginning a second phase of an academic career in 1970, first in the Chemistry Department of the University of Vermont, and thereafter on the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Toronto. Hajos returned to the pharmaceutical industry in 1975, proceeding through a series of positions at the Research Institute of Johnson & Johnson, until retiring in 1990.

Research

Hajos–Parrish–Eder–Sauer–Wiechert reaction, discovery and importance

Hajos is noted for the Hajos–Parrish–Eder–Sauer–Wiechert reaction, and of the related -proline-catalyzed synthesis route to the Hajos-Wiechert ketone, and is considered a pioneer in the research area of organocatalysis. In a recent review of the Hajos–Parrish–Eder–Sauer–Wiechert reaction as a name reaction, Daniel Zerong Wang describes it, and its synonyms, thus: Benjamin List, a leader in the modern field of organocatalysis, describes the importance of the discovery of the Hajos–Parrish–Eder–Sauer–Wiechert reaction thus:

Awards and recognition

Hajos received a Certificate of Merit, an Iron Award, from TU Budapest in May 2013, in recognition of 65 years of professional service.

Selected publications

The research activity of Hajos resulted in 45 scientific publications in technical journals, as well as in more than 30 patents.
Some selected publications are: