William von Eggers Doering (June 22, 1917 – January 3, 2011) was the Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University. Before Harvard, he taught at Columbia (1942–1952) and Yale (1952–1968).
Doering was born in Fort Worth, Texas to academics Carl Rupp Doering and Antoinette Mathilde von Eggers, both of whom were professors at Texas Christian University. His maternal great-uncle was the prominent German financier and economist Hjalmar Schacht, sometime President of the Reichsbank and cabinet minister in Nazi Germany.Doering was an undergraduate at Harvard University, where he took courses with some of the leading organic chemists at the time, including Louis Fieser and Paul Bartlett. He stayed at Harvard for his graduate education, where he studied catalytic hydrogenation under Reginald Linstead, completing his PhD in 1943. Before beginning his independent career, he became famous for completing a (formal) quinine total synthesis with Robert Burns Woodward as a postdoctoral scholar, a wartime achievement that was publicized at the time by the national news media, including TIME magazine. Subsequently, during an independent career at Columbia, Yale, and Harvard that spanned over half a century, he made numerous contributions to the field of physical organic chemistry.Having published his first scientific paper in 1939 and his last in 2008, he holds the rare distinction of having authored scholarly articles in eight different decades. In 1989, he received the "James Flack Norris Award in Physical Organic Chemistry" of the American Chemical Society and in 1990 the Robert A. Welch Award in Chemistry.Some of his major contributions include recognition of the aromatic nature of the tropylium cation and the early use of 1H NMR for the characterization of carbocations and other reactive intermediates, including heptamethylbenzenium cation, investigation of the stereochemistry of the Cope rearrangement, and pioneering work in carbene chemistry, including the discovery of dichlorocarbene. Some other notable work include the synthesis of fulvalene, the discoveries of the Doering-LaFlamme allene synthesis and the Parikh-Doering oxidation, prediction of the existence of bullvalene as a fluxional molecule, and elucidation of the mechanism of the Baeyer–Villiger oxidation. Together with H. H. Zeiss, he proposed the Doering-Zeiss mechanistic hypothesis for solvolysis reactions. He first articulated the notion that cyclic systems with (4n + 2) π-electrons exhibit aromatic stability (the modern form of Hückel's rule) and coined the term "carbene" in collaboration with Woodward and Winstein during a nocturnal cab ride in Chicago.Doering became emeritus in 1986, but continued to advise graduate students and publish.
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Some of their strengths
William von Eggers Doering has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Imaginative, Compassionate, Extroverted, Intuitive, Creative, Loyal, and Intense.
Intuitive and Imaginative
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, William von Eggers Doering is someone who is a highly intuitive, creative and imaginative person who is very loyal, caring and compassionate to others. A person who is a bit of a "lone wolf".
Adaptable and Versatile
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know William von Eggers Doering well know them as someone who can be adaptable, flexible, and polite, like a flower or a sapling.
Imaginative and Sentimental
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe William von Eggers Doering as someone who is imaginative, sentimental, and in touch with emotions.
A person who has extremely good memory and analytical skills, likes to make sure that everyone gets along, enjoys all kinds of situations and people, has a talent for travel and languages, and who makes lifelong friends.
Vigorous and Friendly
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, William von Eggers Doering is someone who has a vigor and energy that applies itself to all life's activities and endeavors, and a knack for forming family-like structures, groups, and communities.
They are also someone who is mysterious, intuitive, and diplomatic, and who has a keen intuition, charisma, and a focus on balance and partnership.
Traditional and Patient
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, William von Eggers Doering tends to be someone who is a patient person that is very emotional, has a very sharp memory, has an ability to understand people, and who tends to be traditional and frugal.
Some of William von Eggers Doering's challenges
While William von Eggers Doering has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, William von Eggers Doering can be Emotional, Standoffish, Arrogant, Status-seeking, Irritable, Moody, and Callous.
Emotional and Standoffish
One of William von Eggers Doering's key challenges is that they are someone who can be emotional and standoffish.
Irritable and Moody
William von Eggers Doering is someone who can be irritable and moody, have a tendency to experience self-doubt, be too secretive, can take too many risks, and who can have an extreme approach to managing personal finances.
Sensitive and Money-oriented
Finally, William von Eggers Doering also can have mood swings, be overly sensititive, and be a bit rigid and materialistic.
