Florida
Institute of Technology will present 2005 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Professor
Robert H. Grubbs of California Institute of Technology, as their 15th
A. H. Blatt Seminar speaker. The
lecture, hosted by Professor Nasri Nesnas of the chemistry department, will
take place on Feb. 5, 5-6:30 p.m., in the Gleason Performing Arts Center. The
public is invited to attend.
Grubbs
received the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, along with Richard R. Schrock and
Yves Chauvin, for his work in the field of olefin metathesis, which is simply
the exchange of certain types of chemical groups known as double bonds (aka. Olefin
or alkene units). This chemical
transformation which can be thought of as the “magical chemical stitching”
technique, is analogous to swing dancers holding both hands and later
exchanging partners with a neighboring couple, facilitated by the dance
instructor (the catalyst). The
catalyst developed, popularized as Grubbs’ catalyst, essentially allows for
facile chemical attachments or ligations making a wide range of structures ranging
from small pharmaceuticals drugs to larger polymeric types such as plastics and
other materials. The catalyst was
revolutionary since it can essentially be thought of as the “Duck Tape” that
can attach any molecules that carry a double bond at their end.
Grubbs,
trained as an organic chemist, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in
chemistry from the University of Florida, where he worked with Professor Merle
Battiste. He earned a doctoral degree
in 1968 from Columbia University, working with Professor Ronald Breslow. After
a year at Stanford University working with Professor James Collman, Grubbs was
appointed to the faculty of Michigan State University. In 1978 he joined
California Institute of Technology where he is currently the Victor and
Elizabeth Atkins Professor of Chemistry.
His
many other awards include: Alfred P. Sloan Fellow, 1974-1976; Camille and Henry
Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards, 1975-1978; Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship, 1975;
Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, 1990; Nagoya Medal of Organic Chemistry, 1997; American
Chemical Society (ACS) Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry, 2000; ACS Herman
F. Mark Polymer Chemistry Award, 2000; ACS Herbert C. Brown Award for Creative
Research in Synthetic Methods, 2001; and the Tolman Medal and the Pauling Award
Medal, 2003; Tetrahedron Prize for Creativity in Organic Chemistry, and several
numerous other awards and Honorary degrees. He was also elected to the National
academy of Sciences, 1989; and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,
1994. He is also a member of the USA Science and Engineering Festival’s
Advisory Board.
http://www.cce.caltech.edu/faculty/grubbs/