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Brown was regarded as one of the two or three giants in the 20th century in the field of organic chemistry, said Felix Haas, a retired Purdue professor of mathematics.

"He was as distinguished a scientist as ever graced a campus. It's a terrible loss," said Robert Ringel, a professor of audiology and speech sciences at Purdue.

In 1979, Brown shared the Nobel Prize with German chemist Georg Wittig of the University of Heidelberg for work with boron- and phosphorus-containing compounds.

He held dozens of U.S. patents, as well as two in Canada and one in Europe. The Herbert C. Brown Laboratory of Chemistry at Purdue is named in his honor.

Although he officially retired in 1978, Brown continued to work at the university, giving lectures, writing and continuing his research. "He never really retired," Ringel said. "He just got off the payroll."

Brown was born Herbert Brovarnik in London, England, on May 22, 1912. His Ukrainian-born Jewish parents brought their family to the United States in 1914, and Brown grew up in Chicago. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1936, and taught there for four years as an untenured instructor.

He was later an assistant professor at Wayne State University before moving to Purdue as professor in 1947.

Brown is survived by his wife, Sarah, a son, Charles Brown, and two granddaughters.

The funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Soller-Baker Funeral Home's West Lafayette Chapel.