In 1996, the American Chemical Society awarded the Priestley Medal to Ernest L. Eliel ‘for his numerous contributions to chemistry,” the Society’s most prestigious award.

Eliel, the W. R. Kenan Jr. Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina, had a career that spanned five decades as he conducted pioneering research in organic chemistry. His 1962 textbook, “Stereochemistry of Carbon Compounds,” reinvigorated the field of stereochemistry and introduced several generations of chemists to this crucial discipline.