chemistry

Hugh Felkin

Hugh Felkin is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hugh Felkin rather than just read about it. In short: Hugh Felkin (1922–2001) was a research chemist in France from 1950 to 1990 and a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry. In 1967, he proposed a model to predict the stereochemical outcome of the addition of nucleophiles to carbonylic compounds.

Key takeaways

Hugh Felkin belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Hugh Felkin to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Hugh Felkin from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Hugh Felkin (1922–2001) was a research chemist in France from 1950 to 1990 and a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry. In 1967, he proposed a model to predict the stereochemical outcome of the addition of nucleophiles to carbonylic compounds. This model (now known as the Felkin-Anh model) differs slightly from Cram's rule and it is one of the most accepted rules to predict the outcome of these reactions. He finished his career as Directeur de Recherche at the Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles in Gif-sur-Yvette. His laboratory worked on organometallic chemistry, with a special focus on organorhenium chemistry. Born in England on 18 January 1922, he spent the second world war years in Geneva studying chemistry. At that time the requirements for a degree were "to show sufficient knowledge in chemistry". After completing his studies, he went to France to work for the French National Centre for Scientific Research. In France he met Irène, born Elphimoff, also a research chemist, who became his wife and survived him by 9 years. They had one daughter, Mary, born in 1962. He was a member of the communist party until the communist coup in Prague in 1948. After this disappointment, his sympathies still firmly inclined towards the left, he read Le Monde without which he used to say he didn't know what to think. Other sayings for which he was noted were "Je suis anti-sioniste mais je n'arrive pas à être pro-arabe", and in case of any uncertainty on the part of the presenter in group meetings, "il ne s'agit pas de croire, il s'agit de savoir". Distinguished alumni of Hugh's lab include Bernard Meunier (president of the CNRS 2004-2006), Steve Davies creator of major spinouts at Oxford University and Bob Crabtree.

Publications Marc Chérest, Hugh Felkin and Nicole Prudent (1968). "Torsional strain involving partial bonds. The stereochemistry of the lithium aluminium hydride reduction of some simple open-chain ketones". Tetrahedron Lett. 18 (18): 2199–2204. doi:10.1016/S0040-4039(00)89719-1. Marc Chérest and Hugh Felkin (1968). "Torsional strain involving partial bonds. The steric course of the reaction between allyl magnesium bromide and 4-t-butyl-cyclohexanone". Tetrahedron Lett. 18 (18): 2205–2208. doi:10.1016/S0040-4039(00)89720-8.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hugh Felkin

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hugh Felkin claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hugh Felkin before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hugh Felkin ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hugh Felkin

In research: Hugh Felkin appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hugh Felkin in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hugh Felkin is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1922 births, 2001 deaths, 20th-century French chemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hugh Felkin outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Hugh Felkin in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hugh Felkin means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hugh Felkin out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hugh Felkin in simple terms?

Why does Hugh Felkin matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hugh Felkin?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hugh Felkin.