The aims and purposes of Phi Lambda Upsilon (PLU) are the promotion of high scholarship and original investigation in all branches of pure and applied chemistry. Phi Lambda Upsilon was founded as an honorary chemical society in March 1899, at the University of Illinois. This was the first honor society dedicated to a single scientific discipline. In the span of one hundred and five years, Phi Lambda Upsilon has grown into an organization comprising sixty-seven chapters and more than 55,000 members. Visit the National PLU Homepage to learn more.

The Greek letters are chosen to represent various chemical disciplines, as shown below:

Φ         for Carl Remigius Fresenius, father of analytical chemistry

Λ         for Justus von Liebig, father of organic/agricultural chemistry

Υ          for Jacobus Henricus van’t Hoff, father of theoretical/physical chemistry

Inside the PLU logo, one can see the outline of an aromatic structure, namely the molecule o-bromotoluene. The synthesis of this compound was an intriguing problem as organic chemists were attempting to develop stereospecific techniques to add functional groups to benzene rings. If you remember from Organic Chemistry, o-bromotoluene can be formed from bromination after Friedel-Crafts alkylation of benzene, but this method yields both the para– and ortho-stereoisomers. To favor the formation of the ortho-stereoisomer, a bulky electrophile, such as the sulfonic acid group, is used to block the para position of toluene and leave the ortho position untouched due to steric hinderances. Now, bromination will place a bromide at the desired orthoposition, and the sulfonic acid group can be removed with acid easily. Preparing stereospecific samples of many other compounds became possible with the development of this blocking technique. The difficulty which early chemists experienced in preparing this compound exemplifies the difficulty in meeting the high standards of scholarship and achievement required for election to our Society.

Rice Chapter:   Founded in 1926 as the 25th chapter

Councilors:

Professor Dean Holmes Richter [1926-1966]

Professor Joe Hightower [1967-2002]

Professor Michael Wong [2003-2012]

Professor Kenton Whitmire [2012-present]

Classification of Membership:

Members:

Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors majoring in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Physics, and Biochemistry with at least 3.5 GPA (at end of Fall)

Graduate Students nominated by their research advisors for exemplary chemical research

Honorary Members:

May be nominated by current PLU members

Past Activities:

1. Election of officers
2. Scientific projects
3. Public lectures
4. Plant Visits
5. Participation in exhibitions
6. National Chemistry Week
7. Fresenius Award Nominations
8. Triennual Congress
9. Student travel grants