What Chemists Really Do- The Logical Structure of Modern Chemistry
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Description
(This information was taken from the Distinguished Scientist Lecture Series Program 1982-1983).
Dr. Hoffmann, Nobel laureate and John A. Newman Professor of Physical Science at Cornell University, was born in Zloczow, Poland. He earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Harvard University in 1960and 1962, respectively. In 1981, Dr. Hoffmann shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Kenichi Fukui. A member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Hoffmann received the 1969 American Chemical Society's Award in Pure Chemistry. He is the only person ever to have received that society's award in two different subfields of chemistry-the A.C. Cope Award in Organic Chemistry in 1973 and the Award in Inorganic Chemistry in 1982. He has been honored with the 1969 Fresenius Award of Phi Lambda Upsilon, the 1969 Harrison Howe Award of the Rochester Section of the American Chemical Society, the 1970 Award of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Sciences, the 1974 Pauling Award of the Puget Sound and Oregon Sections, and the 1981 Nichols Medal of the New York Section of the American Chemical Society. Dr. Hoffmann also received a Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship (1966-68), and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1978. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
His Work: Dr. Hoffmann's research interests lie in the electronic structure of stable and unstable molecules, and of transition state in reactions. His first contribution was the development of the extended Huckel method, a molecular orbital scheme which allowed the facile calculation of the approximate a and 7T electronic structure of molecules, and which gave simple descriptions of molecular conformations and simple potential surfaces. His second major contribution has been a systematic exploration of the electronic structure of transition rates and intermediates in organic reactions, including the development of general correlation "rules" for predicting the outcomes of these processes.
His Lecture April 16, 1983: What Chemists Really Do-The Logical Structure of Modem Chemistry.
Keywords
Chemistry
Creation Date
April 16, 1983
Recommended Citation
Hoffmann, Roald, "What Chemists Really Do- The Logical Structure of Modern Chemistry" (1983). DSLS 1982-1983. 4.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/dsls_1982_1983/4