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{{Short description|Indian bioorganic chemist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Subramania Ranganathan
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1934|2|2}}
| birth_place = [[Tamil Nadu]], India
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2016|1|8|1934|2|2}}
| death_place =
| residence =
| fields = {{ublist | [[Organic chemistry]] | [[Bioorganic chemistry]] }}
| workplaces = {{ublist | [[Central Leather Research Institute]] | [[IIT Kanpur]] | [[National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology]] | [[Indian Institute of Chemical Technology ]] }}
| alma_mater = {{ublist | [[University of Madras]] | [[Ohio State University]] | [[Harvard University]] | Woodward Research Institute }}
| doctoral_advisor = {{ublist| Harold Shechter | [[Robert Burns Woodward]] }}
| doctoral_students =
| known_for = Studies on synthetic and mechanistic organic chemistry
| awards = {{ublist | 1975 Basudev Banerjee Medal | 1977 [[Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize]] | 2000 R. C. Mehrotra Endowment Gold Medal | 2001 [[Chemical Research Society of India|CRSI]] Silver Medal | 2006 [[Chemical Research Society of India|CRSI]] Life-time Achievement Award | 2014 [[Indian National Science Academy|INSA]] Best Teacher Award}}
| spouse = [[Darshan Ranganathan]]
| children =
}}
'''Subramania Ranganathan''' (1934–2016) <ref name="S. Ranganathan: an organic chemist and an artist by nature">{{Cite journal |last=N. Sathyamurthy |title=S. Ranganathan: an organic chemist and an artist by nature |url=http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/107/11/1892.pdf |journal=Current Science |publication-date=December 2014 |volume=107 |issue=11}}</ref> was an Indian bioorganic chemist and professor and head of the department of chemistry at the [[Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur]].<ref name="Elias2002">{{cite book|author=A.J. Elias|title=A Collection of Interesting General Chemistry Experiments|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h_LQDnKBPnAC&pg=PR9|date=1 October 2002|publisher=Universities Press|isbn=978-81-7371-421-4|pages=9–}}</ref> He was known for his studies on synthetic and mechanistic organic chemistry<ref name="Brief Profile of the Awardee">{{Cite web |url=http://ssbprize.gov.in/content/Detail.aspx?AID=1 |title=Brief Profile of the Awardee |date=2016 |publisher=Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize |access-date=12 November 2016}}</ref> and was an elected fellow [[Indian National Science Academy]],<ref name="Deceased fellow">{{Cite web |url=http://insaindia.res.in/detail/N81-0624 |title=Deceased fellow |date=2016 |publisher=Indian National Science Academy}}</ref> [[National Academy of Sciences, India]]<ref name="NASI fellows">{{Cite web |url=http://nasi.org.in/fellows.asp?RsFilter=R |title=NASI fellows |date=2016 |publisher=National Academy of Sciences India}}</ref> and the [[Indian Academy of Sciences]]<ref name="Fellow profile">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ias.ac.in/describe/fellow/Ranganathan,_Prof._Subramania |title=Fellow profile |date=2016 |publisher=Indian Academy of Sciences |access-date=12 November 2016}}</ref> The [[Council of Scientific and Industrial Research]], the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the [[Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology]], one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1977, for his contributions to chemical sciences.<ref name="View Bhatnagar Awardees">{{cite web | url=http://ssbprize.gov.in/Content/AwardeeList.aspx | title=View Bhatnagar Awardees | publisher=Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize | date=2016 | accessdate=12 November 2016}}</ref>

== Biography ==
[[File:A building at IIT Kanpur.jpg|thumb|235px|Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur]]
Ranganathan, born on 2 February 1934 in the south Indian state of [[Tamil Nadu]], graduated in chemistry from [[Madras University]] and continued there to complete his master's degree in 1957.<ref name="Obituary">{{Cite web |url=http://iitk.ac.in/new/prof-s-ranganathan |title=Obituary |date=2016 |publisher=IIT Kanpur}}</ref> Before moving to US to pursue his doctoral studies on a Sloan Kettering Foundation fellowship, he worked at the biochemistry department of the [[Central Leather Research Institute]] for a short while. In the US, he enrolled at [[Ohio State University]] at Harold Shechter's laboratory and secured a PhD in 1962. He moved to the laboratory of [[Robert Burns Woodward]], the 1965 [[Nobel laureates in Chemistry|Nobel laureate]], at [[Harvard University]] for his post- doctoral studies and in 1964, he shifted to Woodward Research Institute, [[Basel]] to complete the studies in 1964.<ref name="Deceased fellow" /> On his return to India in 1966, he joined [[IIT Kanpur]] where he spent his entire official academic career, holding positions of a professor, head of the department and dean, before superannuating in 1994. Post-retirement, he served as an [[Indian National Science Academy|INSA]] senior scientist, first at [[National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology]] and later at the [[Indian Institute of Chemical Technology]] (IICT), both the facilities were earlier known as Regional Research Laboratories.<ref name="S. Ranganathan: an organic chemist and an artist by nature" />

Ranganathan was holding the position of an honorary position at IICT when he died on 8 January 2016, at the age of 81, survived by his son, Anand. He was married to [[Darshan Ranganathan]], an academic, research associate and his co-author; his wife predeceased him.<ref name="S. Ranganathan: an organic chemist and an artist by nature" /> [[Anand Rangnathan|Anand Ranganathan]] is a scientist working on drugs for TB and Malaria at [[International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology]].<ref name="In The Hindu: Medicines in India, For India">{{Cite web |url=http://catalyst.nationalinterest.in/tag/anand-ranganathan/ |title=In The Hindu: Medicines in India, For India |date=14 February 2015 |publisher=Transititon State}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
During his post-doctoral days, Ranganathan worked closely with Woodward and was known to have assisted the latter in his work on [[Woodward–Hoffmann rules]].<ref name="Obituary" /> It was during this time, he accomplished the total synthesis of [[Cephalosporin C]] and Woodward's Nobel lecture was based on this synthesis. Later, basing his researches on synthetic and mechanistic organic chemistry, he identified new methodologies for the synthesis of [[prostaglandins]], a group of biologically active compounds.<ref name="Handbook of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize Winners">{{Cite web |url=http://www.csirhrdg.res.in/ssb.pdf |title=Handbook of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize Winners |date=2016 |publisher=Council of Scientific and Industrial Research}}</ref> His researches have been documented by way of a number of books and over 200 peer-reviewed articles; the online repository of Indian Academy of Sciences has listed 97 of them;<ref name="Browse by Fellow">{{Cite web |url=https://repository.ias.ac.in/view/fellows/Ranganathan=3ASubramania=3A=3A.html |title=Browse by Fellow |date=2016 |publisher=Indian Academy of Sciences}}</ref> and many authors have cited his researches in their publications.<ref name="Houlihan2009">{{cite book|author=William J. Houlihan|title=The Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds, Indoles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mjb-JHxkmS0C&pg=PA534|date=15 September 2009|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-18841-5|pages=534–}}</ref><ref name="Carey2013">{{cite book|author=Francis A. Carey|title=Advanced Organic Chemistry: Part B: Reactions and Synthesis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lsXSBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA316|date=29 December 2013|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-4757-1821-8|pages=316–}}</ref><ref name="Serratosa2013">{{cite book|author=F. Serratosa|title=Organic Chemistry in Action: The Design of Organic Synthesis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wkwXBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA282|date=22 October 2013|publisher=Elsevier|isbn=978-1-4832-9092-8|pages=282–}}</ref>

== Awards and honors ==
Ranganathan received the Basudev Banerjee Medal in 1975 and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded him the [[Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize]], one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1977.<ref name="Chemical Sciences">{{cite web | url=http://www.csir.res.in/External/Heads/career/award/BPRIZE/CHEMICAL_SCIENCES.htm | title=Chemical Sciences | publisher=Council of Scientific and Industrial Research | date=2016 | access-date=7 November 2016 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912012851/http://www.csir.res.in/external/heads/career/award/BPRIZE/CHEMICAL_SCIENCES.htm | archive-date=12 September 2012 }}</ref> He received R. C. Mehrotra Endowment Gold Medal in 2000 and the Silver Medal of the [[Chemical Research Society of India]] in 2001;<ref name="Awards: Year - 2001">{{Cite web |url=http://www.crsi.org.in/index.php/crsi-awards/year-1999-2008 |title=Awards: Year - 2001 |date=2016 |publisher=Chemical Research Society of India}}</ref> CRSI would honor him again in 2006 with the Lifetime Achievement Award.<ref name="Lifetime achievement awards (CRSI Gold Medal)">{{Cite web |url=http://www.crsi.org.in/index.php/crsi-awards |title=Lifetime achievement awards (CRSI Gold Medal) |date=2016 |publisher=Chemical Research Society of India}}</ref> In 2014, he was awarded the Best Teacher Award by the Indian National Science Academy.<ref name="S. Ranganathan: an organic chemist and an artist by nature" /> He held lectureships of the [[University Grants Commission of India]] (1979–80), [[Science and Engineering Research Board]] (1991) and [[Department of Atomic Energy]] (2001) and delivered several award orations including Professor K. Venkatraman Lecture (1979), Professor A. B. Kulkarni Lecture (1982); Professor N. V. Subba Rao Memorial Lecture (1985), Professor T. R. Seshadri Memorial Lecturer (1993) and Maitreyi Memorial Lecture (1994).<ref name="Deceased fellow" /> The [[Indian Academy of Sciences]] elected him as a fellow in 1975<ref name="Fellow profile" /> and he became an elected fellow of and the [[Indian National Science Academy]] and the [[National Academy of Sciences, India]] in 1981 and 1991 respectively.<ref name="Deceased fellow" />

== Books ==
* {{cite book|author=Subramania Ranganathan|title=Fascinating Problems in Organic Reaction Mechanisms|url=https://archive.org/details/fascinatingprobl0000rang|url-access=registration|year=1967|publisher=Holden-Day}}
* {{cite book|author=Subramania Ranganathan|title=Propagation of density fluctuations in dense monatomic fluids|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h0lZAAAAYAAJ|year=1967|publisher=Cornell University, June}}
* {{cite book|author1=Darshan Ranganathan|author2=Subramania Ranganathan|title=The Appreciation of Molecular Transformations in Organic Chemistry: An Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U6Q6AAAAMAAJ|year=1975|publisher=Macmillan Company of India|isbn=9780333901281 }}
* {{cite book|author=Subramania Ranganathan|title=Patterns for Supramolecular Design|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JGqEYoKo9NMC|date=1 January 2002|publisher=New Age International|isbn=978-81-224-1405-9}}
* {{cite book|author=Subramania Ranganathan|title=Art in Biosynthesis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JhBwRQAACAAJ|publisher=Acad. Press}}
* {{cite book|author1=Darshan Ranganathan|author2=Subramania Ranganathan|title=Challenging problems in organic reaction mechanisms|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NtPvAAAAMAAJ|year=1972|publisher=Academic Press|isbn=9780125800501 }}

== See also ==
{{Portal bar|India|Chemistry}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{SSBPST recipients in Chemical Science}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranganathan, Subramania}}
[[Category:Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Chemical Science]]
[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Indian Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Tamil scientists]]
[[Category:University of Madras alumni]]
[[Category:2016 deaths]]
[[Category:Scientists from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy]]
[[Category:Fellows of the National Academy of Sciences, India]]
[[Category:Ohio State University alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:Academic staff of IIT Kanpur]]
[[Category:Council of Scientific and Industrial Research]]
[[Category:Indian Tamil academics]]
[[Category:Indian organic chemists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian chemists]]

Subramania Ranganathan - Revision history

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