/------------------------------/ / OMB APPROVAL / /------------------------------/ / OMB Number: 3235-0287 / / Expires: December 31, 2001 / / Estimated average burden / / hours per response...... 0.5 / /------------------------------/ +--------+ | FORM 4 | U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION +--------+ WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 [_] Check this box if no longer subject STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities obligations may Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the continue. See Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Instruction 1(b). Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (Print or Type Responses) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Name and Address of Reporting Person* Whitnell Jeffrey A. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Last) (First) (Middle) 12305 South New Avenue -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Street) Lemont IL 60439 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (City) (State) (Zip) 2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol MediChem Life Sciences, Inc. (MCLS) ----------------------------------- 3. IRS or Identification Number of Reporting Person if an entity (Voluntary) -------------- 4. Statement for Month/Year 10/00 --------------------------------------------------- 5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year) --------------------------------- 6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) [ ] Director [X] Officer [ ] 10% Owner [ ] Other (give title below) (specify below) Vice President of Finance and Treasurer ---------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line) X ___ Form filed by One Reporting Person ___ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person TABLE I--NON-DERIVATIVE SECURITIES ACQUIRED, DISPOSED OF, OR BENEFICIALLY OWNED

~~6. 4. 5. Owner~~- ~~Securities Acquired (A) or Amount of ship 3. Disposed of (D) Securities Form: 7. Transaction (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) Beneficially Direct Nature of 2. Code~~ ------------------------------- ~~Owned at End (D) or Indirect 1. Transaction (Instr. 8) (A) of Month Indirect Beneficial Title of Security Date~~ ------------ ~~Amount or Price (Instr. 3 (I) Ownership (Instr. 3) (mm/dd/yy) Code V (D) and 4) (Instr.4) (Instr. 4)~~ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Title 2. Trans- 3. Trans-~~------------------------------------------~~ ~~Common~~4. ~~Stock~~Securities Acquired (FNA) 15. Amount of 6. Owner- 7. Nature of action action or Disposed of (D) ~~10/30/00~~Securities Cship of In- Security Date Code (Instr. 3,~~241,253~~ A4 ~~N/A~~and ~~4,031,497~~5) IBeneficially Form: direct (FNInstr. 23) (Month/ (Instr. 8) Owned at Direct Bene- Day/ -----------------------------------------------~~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~ ~~Common~~End ~~Stock~~of ~~10/30/00~~(D) Por ~~390,244~~ficial Year) Month Indirect Owner- Code V Amount (A) $7or Price (Instr.00 3 and 4~~,031,497~~) (I) ship (FND) 2(Instr. 4) ~~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~(Instr. ~~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~4) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ~~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~Common ~~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~Stock ~~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~10/25/00 P 1,100 A $7.00 1,100 I By spouse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ~~====================================================================================================================================~~

Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly. * If this form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4(b)(v). Potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number. FORM 4 (continued) TABLE II--DERIVATIVE SECURITIES ACQUIRED, DISPOSED OF, OR BENEFICIALLY OWNED (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)

~~10. 9. Owner~~- ~~Number ship of Form 2. Deriv~~- ~~of Conver~~- ~~5. 7. ative Deriv~~- ~~11. sion Number of Title and Amount Secur~~- ~~ative Nature or Derivative 6. of Underlying 8. ities Secur~~- ~~of Exer~~- ~~4. Securities Date Securities Price Bene~~- ~~ity: In~~- ~~cise 3. Trans~~- ~~Acquired (A) Exercisable and Instr. 3 and 4) of ficially Direct direct Price Trans~~- ~~action or Disposed Expiration Date~~ ---------------- ~~Deriv~~- ~~Owned (D) or Bene~~- ~~1. of action Code of(D) (Month/Day/Year) Amount ative at End In~~- ~~ficial Title of Deriv~~- ~~Date (Instr. (Instr. 3,~~ ---------------- ~~or Secur~~- ~~of direct Owner~~- ~~Derivative ative (Month/ 8) 4 and 5) Date Expira~~- ~~Number ity Month (I) ship Security Secur~~- ~~Day/~~ ------ ------------ ~~Exer~~- ~~tion of (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. 3) ity Year) Code V (A) (D) cisable Date Title Shares 5) 4) 4) 4)~~ -------------------------------------------------------~~-----------------------------------------------------------------------------~~ ~~Class~~1. ATitle of Derivative 2. Conver- ~~tible~~3. ~~Preferred~~Trans- ~~Stock~~4. Transac- 5. Number of ~~MCR~~Deriv- 18Security (Instr.~~65557~~ ~~Common~~3) ~~Holdings~~sion ~~for~~or 1action ~~10/30/00~~tion CCode ~~195,183.18~~ative Securities Exercise Date (FNInstr. 18) N/Acquired (A) ~~Stock~~or ~~3,641,253~~Price Nof (Month/A Disposed of (D) Deriv-0- IDay/ (FNInstr. 23, 4, and 5) ~~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~ative ~~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~Year) ~~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~Security ---------------------------------------------------~~---------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~ ~~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~Code ~~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~V (A) (D) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~-------~~ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~-------~~ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~-------~~ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~-------~~ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~~------- ====================================================================================================================================~~

TABLE II--DERIVATIVE SECURITIES ACQUIRED, DISPOSED OF, OR BENEFICIALLY OWNED (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)--CONTINUED

Explanation of Responses: **Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a). Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure. Potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number. /s/ Jeffrey A. Whitnell November 13, 2000 ------------------------------- ----------------- **Signature of Reporting Person Date

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