Chester J. Cavallito

Chester J. Cavallito (May 7, 1915 – March 28, 2010) was an American organic chemist. He was particularly known for his work on the chemistry of garlic. Beginning in 1944, with his colleagues, he reported on the isolation from crushed garlic, synthesis (from diallyl disulfide) and antibiotic activity of a compound he named allicin. Cavallito established that allicin was a member of a class of organosulfur compounds known as thiosulfinates. He also synthesized and reported on the chemical and biological properties of a series of thiosulfinates related to allicin.