Date of Birth: October 27, 1927. Place of Birth: Budapest, Hungary. Education: MSc in Chemistry (Pázmány Péter University, Budapest, 1945-49), chemistry and physics teacher (Eötvös Collegium, 1945-50). PhD: Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest (ELTE, 1959); DSc: Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA, 1971). Academic Positions: ELTE, Department of Organic Chemistry, Assistant Professor (1950-1964), Associate Professor (1965-1970), Full Professor (ELTE, 1971-1997), Professor Emeritus (1998-), Head of Department (1970-1993) Honours: Academy Award (1975), Zemplén Géza Award (1987), Széchenyi Award (1996), Bruckner Győző Award (1998), Eötvös József laureate (2000), Náray Szabó István Award (2008) Insignia: ELTE Pro Universitate Medal (1985), Hungarian Higher Education Commemorial Plaque (1992), ELTE Golden Medal (1997), ELTE Doctor et professor honoris causa (2007).

 
Teaching:

Graduate Courses: Organic Chemistry (major course), Synthetic Organic Chemistry (laboratory courses), Organic Chemistry Seminar, Research in Organic Chemistry, Topics in Organosulfur Chemistry. Textbooks: Organic Chemistry, Vol. 1-5 (1976), Bruckner: Advanced Organic Chemistry, Vol. 1-6 (1950-1981; co-author). Experimental Organic Chemistry, Vol. 1-2 (1968). MSc Programs : directed in 10 cases; PhD Programs : directed in 6 cases.

 
Research interest:

Synthesis of organosulfur compounds (sulfides, sulfoxides, sulfilimines, sulfonium salts, spiro-λ⁴-sulfanes). Molecular structure and stereochemistry (conformation, absolute configuration) of organosulfur compounds as investigated by spectroscopic, X-ray diffraction, electron diffraction and quantum-chemical methods. Study of mechanisms and stereochemistry of organosulfur reactions occurring at four-valenced central sulfur atom with three or four ligands by using kinetic, isotope-labelling and chromatographic methods. Study of structure-reactivity relationships for organosulfur compounds with unusual bonding systems: p -electron-delocalization, hypervalent bonds, sulfur-oxygen and sulfur-nitrogen nonbonded interactions.

 
Publications: 130

Five Selected Publications:

• Kucsman, Á.: Über den Bau optisch aktiver Schwefelverbindungen. Acta Chim. Acad. Sci. Hung., 3, 47-55 (1953).
• Ruff, F., Kucsman, Á.: Mechanism of the reaction of sulphides with N-chloroarene-sulphonamides. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 2, 509-519 (1975).
• Kucsman Á., Kapovits, I.: Nonbonded sulfur-oxygen interaction in organic sulfur compounds. In: Organic Sulfur Chemistry: Theoretical and Experimental Advances. (Bernardi, F., Csizmadia, I.G., Mangini, A.) Amsterdam, Elsevier, 1985, Ch. 4, pp. 191-245.
• Ángyán, J.Gy., Poirier, R.A, Kucsman Á. Csizmadia, I.G.: Bonding between nonbonded sulfur and oxygen atoms in selected organic molecules. A quantum chemical study). J. Am. Chem. Soc., 109, 2237-2245 (1987).
• Szabó, D., Szendeffy Sz., Kapovits, I., Kucsman, Á, Czugler, M., Kálmán, A., Nagy P.: Stereospecific synthesis and absolute configuration of optically active spiro-λ⁴-sulfanes, Tetrahedron Asymmetry. 8, 2411-2420 (1997).

Literary work:

• Kucsman Á.: Hetvenéves az ELTE Szerves Kémiai Tanszéke [70^th Anniversary of the Organic Chemistry Department of ELTE] (1934-2003). Budapest, ELTE Eötvös Kiadó, 2004, 368 pp.
• Kucsman Á. : Kezdődik a nap. [The day begins] Holmi, 17 (11), 1409-1421 (2005).
• Kucsman Á.: Egy kémikus a régi Eötvös Collegiumban. [A chemist in the old Eötvös Collegium] Budapest, ELTE Eötvös József Collegium, Petőfi Irodalmi Múzeum, 2006, 250 pp.

Interviews (in Hungarian):

• From strange sulphur compounds to the music of Vivaldi (1998)
• János Gács interviews Árpád Kucsman (2009): [rtf] [pdf]