In this historical perspective, we focus on selected discoveries that Albert Frenkel (1919-2015) made all by himself - single-handedly - which is the discovery of photophosphorylation and NAD reduction in anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria. Then, we present various aspects of his research life through his unpublished letters with some key scientists in his research field. To give a glimpse of his personal life, we have also provided some photographs.

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Department of Plant Biology Department of Biochemistry and Center of Biophysics and Quantitative Biology University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Urbana IL 61801 USA

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Arnon D.I., Whatley F.R., Allen M.B.: Photosynthesis by isolated chloroplasts. II. Photosynthetic phosphorylation, the conversion of light into phosphate bond energy. – J. Am. Chem. Soc. 76: 6324-6329, 1954. 10.1021/ja01653a025 DOI

Baltscheffsky H., Von Stedingk L.V., Heldt H.-W., Klingenberg M.: Inorganic pyrophosphate: formation in bacterial photophosphorylation. – Science 153: 1120-1122, 1966. 10.7606/10.1126/science.153.3740.1120 PubMed DOI

Barker H.A., Hungate R.E.: Cornelius Bernardus van Niel, 1897–1985. – In: Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences. Pp. 389-423. National Academy of Sciences, Washington: 1990. http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/van-niel-cornelius.pdf PubMed

Black C.C., Mayne B.C.: Allan H. Brown (1917–2004), editor and educator: A career of fascination with the biological roles of O2 in terrestrial life and possibly in extraterrestrial life. – Photosynth. Res. 87: 159-163, 2006. 10.1007/s11120-005-9017-9 PubMed DOI

Blankenship R.E.: Molecular Mechanisms of Photosynthesis. 3rd edition. Pp. 352. Wiley, Hoboken: 2021.

Brown A.H., Frenkel A.W.: Photosynthesis. – Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. 4: 23-58, 1953. 10.1146/annurev.pp.04.060153.000323 DOI

Buchanan B.B., Douce R., Govindjee G. et al.: Andrew A. Benson, 1917–2015. – In: Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences. Pp. 1-16. National Academy of Sciences, Washington: 2016. http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/benson-andrew.pdf

DeVault D.: Tunneling enters biology. – Photosynth. Res. 22: 3-10, 1989. 10.1007/BF00114761 PubMed DOI

Fiske C.H., Subbarow Y.J.: The colorimetric determination of phosphorus. – J. Biol. Chem. 66: 375-400, 1925. 10.1016/S0021-9258(18)84756-1 DOI

Frenkel A.W.: Photosynthesis with radioactive carbon, and the distribution of the intermediate products in the plant cell. – Plant Physiol. 16: 654-655, 1941. 10.1104/pp.16.3.654 PubMed DOI PMC

Frenkel A.W.: Hydrogen evolution by the flagellate green alga Chlamydomonas moewusii. – Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 38: 219-230, 1952. 10.1016/0003-9861(52)90026-X PubMed DOI

Frenkel A.W.: Light-induced phosphorylation by cell-free preparations of photosynthetic bacteria. – J. Am. Chem. Soc. 76: 5568-5569, 1954. 10.1021/ja01650a097 DOI

Frenkel A.W.: Photophosphorylation of adenine nucleotides by cell-free preparations of purple bacteria. – J. Biol. Chem. 222: 823-834, 1956. 10.1016/S0021-9258(20)89940-2 PubMed DOI

Frenkel A.W.: Simultaneous reduction of diphosphopyridine nucleotide and oxidation of reduced flavin mononucleotide by illuminated bacterial chromatophores. – J. Am. Chem. Soc. 80: 3479-3480, 1958. 10.1021/ja01546a070 DOI

Frenkel A.W.: Light-induced reactions of chromatophores of Rhodospirillum rubrum. – In: The Photochemical Apparatus, its Structure and Function. Brookhaven Symposia in Biology. Vol. 11. Pp. 276-288. Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York: 1959a.

Frenkel A.W.: Light-induced reactions of bacterial chromato­phores and their relation to photosynthesis. – Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. 10: 53-70, 1959b. 10.1146/annurev.pp.10.060159.000413 DOI

Frenkel A.W.: Recollections. – Photosynth. Res. 35: 103-116, 1993. 10.1007/BF00014742 PubMed DOI

Frenkel A.W., Gaffron H., Battley E.H.: Photosynthesis and photoreduction by the blue-green alga Synechococcus elongatus Näg. – Biol. Bull. 99: 157-162, 1950. 10.2307/1538735 PubMed DOI

Frenkel A.W., Lewin R.A.: Photoreduction by Chlamydomonas. – Am. J. Bot. 41: 586-589, 1954. 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1954.tb14382.x DOI

Gest H.: Samuel Ruben's contributions to research on photosynthesis and bacterial metabolism with radioactive carbon. – Photosynth. Res. 80: 77-83, 2004. PubMed

Govindjee G.: Obituary: Sam Aronoff. – ASPB News 37: 21-22, 2010. https://www.life.illinois.edu/govindjee/Electronic Publications/2010/Aronoff.pdf 10.1023/B:PRES.0000030438.72496.2c DOI

Govindjee G., Blankenship R.E.: Martin David Kamen (1913–2002): discoverer of carbon 14, and of new cytochromes in photosynthetic bacteria. – Photosynth. Res. 149: 225-273, 2021. 10.1007/s11120-021-00854-y PubMed DOI

Govindjee G., Fork D.C.: Charles Stacy French, 1907–1995. – In: Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences. Pp. 2-29. National Academy of Sciences, Washington: 2006. http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/french-c-stacy.pdf

Govindjee G., Frenkel S.: Obituary: Albert W. Frenkel, 1919–2015. ASPB News 42: 29-31, 2015a. https://www.life.illinois.edu/govindjee/Publications2015/ObitASPBFrenkel%282015%29.pdf.pdf

Govindjee G., Frenkel S.: Albert W. Frenkel (1919–2015): photosynthesis research pioneer, much-loved teacher, and scholar. – Photosynth. Res. 124: 243-247, 2015b. 10.1007/s11120-015-0109-x PubMed DOI

Govindjee G., Nonomura A., Lichtenthaler H.K.: Remembering Melvin Calvin (1911–1997), a highly versatile scientist of the 20th century. – Photosynth. Res. 143: 1-11, 2020. 10.1007/s11120-019-00693-y PubMed DOI

Homann P.H.: Hydrogen metabolism of green algae: discovery and early research – a tribute to Hans Gaffron and his coworkers. – Photosynth. Res. 76: 93-103, 2003. 10.1023/A:1024935223225 PubMed DOI

Kamen M.D.: Radiant Science, Dark Politics: A Memoir of the Nuclear Age. Pp. 348. University of California Press, New York: 1985.

Kresge N., Simoni R.D., Hill R.L.: Fritz Lipmann and the discovery of coenzyme A. – J. Biol. Chem. 280: 164-166, 2005. 10.1016/S0021-9258(20)64101-1 PubMed DOI

Lipmann F.: A long life in times of great upheaval. – Annu. Rev. Biochem. 53: 1-33, 1984. 10.1146/annurev.bi.53.070184.000245 PubMed DOI

Nonomura A.M., Holtz B., Biel K.Y. et al.: The paths of Andrew A. Benson: a radio-autobiography. – Photosynth. Res. 134: 93-105, 2017. 10.1007/s11120-017-0410-y PubMed DOI

Rabinowitch E.: Robert Emerson, 1903–1959. – In: Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences. Pp. 111-131. National Academy of Sciences, Washington: 1961. http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/emerson-robert.pdf

Rothstein A., Frenkel A., Larabee C.: The relationship of the cell surface to metabolism. III. Certain characteristics of the uranium complex with cell surface groups of yeast. – J. Cell. Comp. Physiol. 32: 261-274, 1948. 10.1002/jcp.1030320303 DOI

Seibert M.: Obituary of Dr Don Charles DeVault. – Photosynth. Res. 28: 95-98, 1991. 10.1007/BF00054122 DOI

Vernon L.P.: Photoreduction of triphosphopyridine nucleotide by chromatophores of Rhodosprillum rubrum. – J. Am. Chem. Soc. 80: 246-247, 1958. 10.1021/ja01534a065 DOI