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D-Index & Metrics

Chemistry

D-Index
96
Citations
30668
World Ranking
1564
National Ranking
598

Research.com Recognitions

  • 1989 - US President's National Medal of Science "For his pioneering studies in the mechanism of photosynthesis and bioenergetics, and for the application of scientific theory toward the solution of the most fundamental problems of the age--energy, food, chemical and viral carcinogenesis, and the origin of life.", Presented by President Bush at a White House Ceremony on October 18, 1989.
  • 1981 - Oesper Award, University of Cincinnati and American Chemical Society
  • 1978 - Priestley Medal, American Chemical Society (ACS)
  • 1964 - Davy Medal, Royal Society of London (UK) In recognition of his pioneering work in chemistry and biology, particularly his elucidation of the photosynthetic pathway for the incorporation of carbon dioxide by plants
  • 1962 - Fellow of American Geophysical Union (AGU)
  • 1961 - Nobel Prize for his research on the carbon dioxide assimilation in plants
  • 1960 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 1958 - William H. Nichols Medal, American Chemical Society (ACS)
  • 1955 - Centenary Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry (UK)
  • 1954 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 1944 - Fellow of John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation

Overview

Melvin Calvin was affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley in the United States. Their research focused primarily on the mechanisms involved in photosynthesis, particularly the assimilation of carbon dioxide by plants.

Over the course of their career, Calvin received multiple awards recognizing contributions to chemistry, biology, and energy studies. Key honors included the Nobel Prize in 1961 for research on carbon dioxide assimilation in plants and the US President's National Medal of Science in 1989, which cited pioneering studies in photosynthesis and bioenergetics.

Additional recognitions included the Davy Medal from the Royal Society of London in 1964, the Priestley Medal from the American Chemical Society in 1978, and fellowships from prominent scientific organizations such as the American Geophysical Union (1962) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1960).

Memberships and fellowships throughout their career highlighted their engagement with the broader scientific community, including induction into the National Academy of Sciences in 1954 and a fellowship with the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in 1944.

The scientific work of Calvin notably contributed to understanding key processes relevant to energy, food production, chemical carcinogenesis, viral carcinogenesis, and hypotheses regarding the origin of life. This work intersected fundamental problems in biology and chemistry linked to global scientific challenges.

Best Publications

  • Chemistry of the metal chelate compounds

    Arthur Earl Martell;Melvin Calvin

  • The path of carbon in photosynthesis.

    M. Calvin;A. A. Benson

  • Hydrocarbon distribution of algae and bacteria, and microbiological activity in sediments.

    Jerry Han;Melvin Calvin

  • The Color of Organic Substances.

    Gilbert N. Lewis;Melvin. Calvin

  • Function of Carotenoids in Photosynthesis

    M Griffiths;W R Sistrom;G Cohenbazire;R Y Stanier

  • The Absorption Spectra of Suspensions of Living Micro-Organisms

    K. Shibata;A.A. Benson;M. Calvin

  • The Path of Carbon in Photosynthesis. XXI. The Cyclic Regenerationof Carbon Dioxide Acceptor

    J.A. Bassham;A.A. Benson;Lorel D. Kay;Anne Z. Harris

  • Mixed valence interactions in di-.mu.-oxo bridged manganese complexes

    Stephen R. Cooper;Melvin Calvin

  • The Path of Carbon in Photosynthesis

    James Alan Bassham;Melvin Calvin

  • The path of carbon in photosynthesis.

    James A. Bassham;Andrew A. Benson;Melvin. Calvin

  • ELECTROCHEMISTRY OF EXCITED MOLECULES: PHOTO‐ELECTROCHEMICAL REACTIONS OF CHLOROPHYLLS*

    Helmut Tributsch;Melvin. Calvin

  • Hydrocarbons of Biological Origin from a One-Billion-Year-Old Sediment.

    Geoffrey Eglinton;P. M. Scott;Ted Belsky;A. L. Burlingame

  • Organic geochemical studies, ii. A preliminary report on the distribution of aliphatic hydrocarbons in algae, in bacteria, and in a recent lake sediment.

    Jerry Han;E. D. McCarthy;William Van Hoeven;Melvin Calvin

  • Mixed Valence Interactions in Di-μ-oxo Bridged Manganese Complexes. Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and Magnetic Susceptibility Studies

    Stephen R. Cooper;G. Charles Dismukes;G. Charles Dismukes;Melvin P. Klein;Melvin Calvin

  • Photovoltaic Effect and Photoconductivity in Laminated Organic Systems

    David Kearns;Melvin Calvin

  • The Chemistry of 1,2-Dithiolane (Trimethylene Disulfide) As aModel for the Primary Quantum Conversion Act in Photosynthesis

    J.A Barltrop;P.M. Hayes;M. Calvin

  • Solar energy by photosynthesis.

    Melvin Calvin

  • Bonding in Copper(II) Chelates: Solvent Effects in Their Visible Absorption Spectra

    R. Linn Belford;M. Calvin;Geneva Belford

  • The Path of Carbon in Photosynthesis VIII. The Role of Malic Acid

    James A. Bassham;Andrew A. Benson;Melvin Calvin

  • THERMODYNAMICS OF LIGHT EMISSION AND FREE-ENERGY STORAGE IN PHOTOSYNTHESIS

    Robert T. Ross;Melvin Calvin

  • Chemistry-a central science

    Melvin Calvin

  • The Path of Carbon in Photosynthesis. XXI. The Cyclic Regeneration of Carbon Dioxide Acceptor

    J.A. Bassham;A.A. Benson;Lorel D. Kay;Anne Z. Harris

Frequent Co-Authors

Andrew A. Benson
Andrew A. Benson University of California, San Diego
James A. Bassham
James A. Bassham University of California, Berkeley
Osmund Holm-Hansen
Osmund Holm-Hansen University of California, San Diego
Alma L. Burlingame
Alma L. Burlingame University of California, San Francisco
Itamar Willner
Itamar Willner Hebrew University of Jerusalem
David R. Kearns
David R. Kearns University of California, Riverside
Melvin P. Klein
Melvin P. Klein Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Arthur E. Martell
Arthur E. Martell Texas A&M University
N. E. Tolbert
N. E. Tolbert Michigan State University
David H. Templeton
David H. Templeton University of California, Berkeley

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