title: Turinese stereochemistry: Eligio Perucca's enantioselectivity and Primo Levi's asymmetry.
abstract: A reputation restored: Eligio Perucca (see photo) first observed the enantioselective adsorption of a racemic mixture to a chiral crystal (NaClO(3)) in Turin in 1919. However, this milestone in enantioselective chemistry and chiroptics went unnoticed. Identified previously as a coward who refused in 1941 to supervise the research of the budding stereochemist Primo Levi because of the race laws, Perucca was opposed to the fascist regime.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Box 351700, Seattle WA 98195-1700, USA. kahr@chem.washington.edu
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kahr
authors.forename: Yonghong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bing
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kaminsky
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Viterbo