Costin Nenițescu

Costin D. Nenițescu (in some places Nenitzescu ; 15 July 1902 – 28 July 1970) was a prominent Romanian chemist, and a professor at the Politehnica University of Bucharest. He was a titular member of the Romanian Academy, a corresponding member of the German Academy of Sciences in Berlin, and a member of the Leopoldina Academy of Natural Scientists in Halle-Saale.

Early life He was born in Bucharest, the son of (lawyer and politician, director of the National Bank of Romania and Minister of Industry and Commerce) and Elena Nenițescu, and the nephew of the writer Ioan S. Nenițescu. After completing in 1920 his secondary studies at Gheorghe Lazăr High School, Nenițescu continued his studies at the Polytechnic Institute in Zurich and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) in Munich, where he completed in 1935 his Ph.D. under the direction of Hans Fischer, with thesis regarding the synthesis of degradation products of blood pigments.

Career Upon returning to Romania, he became a professor at the University of Bucharest from 1925 to 1935.

His research was substantiated in more than 200 papers. His remarkable technical and scientific activity helped develop the chemical industry in Romania. A preferred quote is: "To be able to convey science you have to be yourself a creative scientist, or at least you should strive to be".

Nenițescu was elected corresponding member of the Romanian Academy in 1945 and a titular member in 1955. In 1969, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for discovering two new syntheses for the indolenucleus, and a new method of polymerisation of ethylene".

Personal life and legacy He was married to Ecaterina Ciorănescu-Nenițescu (1909–2000). A student of his, she obtained her Ph.D. in chemistry in 1936, became a professor at Politehnica University, and was elected titular member of the Romanian Academy in 1974.

He died in Bușteni at age 68 A street in Sector 6 of Bucharest is also named after him.

Works

Organic Chemistry (2 volumes; 1st print was in 1928; the 6th print was published in 1965) General Chemistry (2nd print was published in 1963).