Chatterjee started her research career in 1938 when she initiated her chemical investigations on the indole alkaloids of Rauwolfiacanescens. She studied almost all the principal types of indole alkaloids and for instance, helped elucidate the structure and stereochemistry of ajmalicine and sarpagine. In fact, it was Chatterjee who first suggested the correct stereo-configuration of sarpagine.
Some of her most important achievements included the isolation and characterisation of geissosehizine, a key product in the biogenesis of indole alkaloids from Rhazyastricta; stereo-specific synthesis of rauwolscine, the major alkaloid of Rauwolfiacanescensand studies on the transformation of terpenoids. Her work on coumarins started with the elucidation of the structure of luvanget in isolated from Luvungascandens followed by isolation of a large number of coumarins bearing interesting substitution patterns from Indian medicinal plants belonging to the families Rutaceae, Umbelliferae, Compositae, Euphorbiaceae, and Thymelaeaceae. She made extensive studies on the action of various Lewis acids on phenylated coumarins and devised simple routes to some complex coumarin systems.
Chatterjee worked on mechanistic organic chemistry; investigated the mechanism of the acid-catalysed hydramine fission of phenyl ethanol and developed a method to detect and locate double bonds in organic compounds using periodic acid (H5IO3). This method is a good alternative to ozonolysis. Chatterjee had to establish herself as an accomplished researcher against heavy odds. She had to work like other scientists of those days in the most ill-equipped university laboratories with inadequate chemicals and meager financial assistance. Scholarships for research students were few and barely enough. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) were not around. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) was in its formative stage. Asima Chatterjee was born on 23 September 1917 in Kolkata. After completing her school education, she entered the Scottish Church College of Calcutta University from where she graduated with Honours in Chemistry in 1936. She obtained her MSc degree from Calcutta University in 1938, majoring in organic chemistry and her DSc from Calcutta University in 1944. Her research guide was P.K. Bose, a pioneer in natural products chemistry in India. Her thesis was on the chemistry of plant products and synthetic organic chemistry. Her thesis was examined and highly spoken of by A.R. Todd, a Nobel Laureate in chemistry. She imbibed her interest in medicinal plants from her father Indra Narayan Mukherjee, a medical man- cum-amateur botanist.
In 1940, Chatterjee joined the Lady Brabourne College as the Founder Head of Chemistry Department. She was appointed Honorary Lecturer, Chemistry, of Calcutta University in 1944.She worked in USA and Switzerland during 1947-1950. In the USA she first worked with L.M. Parks at the University of Wisconsin on naturally occurring glycosides and then with L. Zechmeister at the California Institute of Technology. In Switzerland, she worked with the Nobel Laureate Paul Karrer at the University of Zurich on biologically active alkaloids.
Chatterjee left the Lady Brabourne College in 1954 to join the Department of Chemistry at the University College of Science, Calcutta University. She worked here until the end of her active academic career. She was appointed the Khaira Professor, a position she occupied till 1982. Besides being a Professor of Chemistry, Chatterjee served Calcutta University in many ways. She served as a member of the University Senate and the Syndicate and the Academic Council and Board of Studies in Chemistry. Chatterjee revised the BharatiyaBanashoudhi, a six-volume treatise on Indian medicinal plants, published by the Calcutta University over 1973-1977; a treatise was originally edited by K.P. Biswas. Chatterjee was the Chief Editor of the six-volume Treatise on Medicinal Plants published by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, that described seven hundred medicinal plants.
Writing in Current Science (10 May 2007), S.C. Pakrashi, a Ph.D. student of Prof. Chatterjee, recalled, “Asima Chatterjee achieved success against heavy odds due to her exemplary indomitable spirit, total commitment, strong will, hard work and an insatiable urge for the pursuit of knowledge. She attended her laboratory even during the last year of her life despite her frail health, an example hard to emulate.
“In the 1950s, it was not easy to carry out research in an ill-equipped university laboratory with meagre funds and hardly any prospect of research as a profession. Still, she could motivate, inspire and instil in her students the sense of commitment, integrity, sincerity, tenacity and all the essentials of a good research worker by her example. As a teacher, she was a hard taskmaster, never satisfied with the performance so far as work was concerned. As a human being, she was kind-hearted and understanding. She would go out of her way to help not only her associates but anybody who would approach her.”
Asima Chatterjee helped establish the Regional Research Institute for investigations on Indian medicinal plants for the development of Ayurvedic drugs. The institute was established under the aegis of the Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha in Salt Lake, Kolkata through a unique Centre-State collaboration. An Ayurvedic Hospital was also established as part of the Institute for systematic clinical trials. Chatterjee was made the Honorary Principal Coordinator. In this capacity, she nurtured the institute till she breathed her last.
Chatterjee was closely associated with the Indian Science Congress; as its General Secretary and Treasurer and as its General President in 1975. She believed that the Indian Science Congress Association could and should play an effective role to foster scientific thinking. In her Presidential Address to the Indian Science Congress held in New Delhi in 1975, she said: “…scientific way of thinking if properly cultivated, would help secure for the people of the country all the benefits of progress in science and technology. But dissemination of scientific knowledge must not be limited to urban areas. It should also be extended to people in villages in an effective manner. In this field, the Indian Science Congress could play an effective role as well. More widespread and systematic dissemination of scientific information is sure to educate public opinion.”
Chatterjee was the recipient of the Nagarjuna Prize and Medal, PremchandRoychand Studentship, Mouat Gold Medal, Sir P.C. Ray Research Scholarship and other university medals and prizes. She was awarded the S.S. Bhatnagar Prize for Chemical Sciences for the year 1961. She acted as Chairperson in the symposium on phyto chemistry held under the joint auspices of UNESCO and Federation of Malaya at Kuala Lumpur (1957), presided over the Natural Products Section of the IUPAC International Congress, Paris (1957), and acted as Co-Chairperson at the IUPAC Symposium, New Delhi (1972). She served as the President of BangiyaBijnan Parishad. Asima Chatterjee died in Kolkata on 23 November 2006 at the age of 89.