John D. Roberts
John D. Roberts | |
|---|---|
 Receiving the AIC Gold Medal, 2013 | |
| Born | John Dombrowski Roberts June 8, 1918 |
| Died | October 29, 2016 (aged 98) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | UCLA |
| Awards | ACS Award in Pure Chemistry (1954) Roger Adams Award in Organic Chemistry (1967) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry |
| Institutions | Penn State UCLA Harvard MIT Caltech |
| Doctoral advisors | William Gould Young |
John Dombrowski Roberts (June 8, 1918 – October 29, 2016) was an American chemist. He made contributions to the integration of physical chemistry, spectroscopy, and organic chemistry for the understanding of chemical reaction rates. Another characteristic of Roberts' work was the early use of NMR, the concept of spin-spin coupling.[1]
Career[edit]
Roberts received both a B.A. (1941) and Ph.D. (1944) from the University of California, Los Angeles, working under Professor William Gould Young. He held several positions at the California Institute of Technology, including Division Chairman of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering from 1963–68, Dean of the Faculty and Provost from 1980–83 and Institute Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus (1988-2016) in the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.[2] He is credited with bringing the first female graduate student, Dorothy Semenow, to Caltech when he moved from MIT.[3][4] He was a consultant for DuPont Central Research (1950-2008)[5] and for Oak Ridge.[2]
He published his autobiography in 1990, The Right Place at the Right Time.[6][7] Roberts died on October 29, 2016 at the age of 98 from a stroke.[8][9]
Awards and honors[edit]
Roberts was elected a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1952.[10] He was elected Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1956 at 38 years old.[11] In 1978, he was elected a Fellow of The Explorers Club. He was awarded the Priestley Medal in 1987,[12] the National Medal of Science in 1990,[13] the Glenn T. Seaborg Medal in 1991,[14] the NAS Award in Chemical Sciences in 1999,[15] the Nakanishi Prize in 2001,[16] the NAS Award for Chemistry in Service to Society in 2009,[17] the Linus Pauling Legacy Award in 2006[18] and the American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal in 2013.[5]
Roberts received honorary degrees from the University of Munich (1962), Temple University (1964) and the University of Notre Dame.[2]
In 1998 he was named by Chemical & Engineering News as one of the 75 most influential chemists of the last 75 years.[19]
References[edit]
- ^ "Early Ideas in the History of Quantum Chemistry". U. Anders, Ph.D. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ^ a b c Center for Oral History. "John D. Roberts". Science History Institute.
- ^ "Interview with John D. Roberts (b. 1918)" (PDF). Caltech Oral History Project, Caltech Archives, Caltech. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ^ Bell, Brian (July 29, 2013). "Caltech's John D. Roberts Awarded Gold Medal". Pasadena Now. Archived from the original on July 12, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
- ^ a b "American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal". Science History Institute. February 19, 2018.
- ^ "John D. Roberts (1918– )". National Science Foundation. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
- ^ The Right Place at the Right Time. WorldCat. OCLC 21197391.
- ^ Fleur, Nicholas St (November 6, 2016). "John D. Roberts Dies at 98; He Revolutionized the Field of Organic Chemistry". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
- ^ "John D. Roberts, 1918-2016 | Caltech". The California Institute of Technology. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
- ^ "Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter R" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved April 15, 2011.
- ^ "National Academy of Sciences, Member Directory". National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ^ "Prieslty Medal winners". American Chemical Society. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ^ "John D. Roberts (1918– )". National Science Foundation. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
- ^ "Past Seaborg Medal Recipients". Glenn T. Seaborg Medal. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
- ^ "NAS Honors 17 For Contributions To Science". The Scientist. April 26, 1999. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
- ^ "Nakanishi Prize". American Chemical Society. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ "Academy Honors 18 for Major Contributions to Science". News from the National Academies. January 28, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
- ^ ""Useful Knowledge about Magnetic Resonance Imaging," Dr. John D. Roberts (video and transcript)". Special Collections and Archives, Oregon State University. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ^ "Contributors to the Chemical Enterprise: C&EN's Top 75". Chemical & Engineering News. January 12, 1998. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
Sources[edit]
- Roberts, John D. "ABCs of FT-NMR." University Science Books, Sausalito, California, 2000.
- "JDR." Engineering & Science 1980, 44(2), p. 10.
Books[edit]
- John D. Roberts; Marjorie C. Caserio (1977). Basic Principles of Organic Chemistry (2nd ed.). W. A. Benjamin. ISBN 978-0805383294.
- John D. Roberts (1961). An Introduction to the Analysis of Spin-Spin Splitting in High-Resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectra. W. A. Benjamin.
- John D. Roberts (1961). Notes on Molecular Orbital Calculations. W. A. Benjamin. ISBN 978-0805383010.
- John D. Roberts (1959). Nuclear Magnetic Resonance : Applications to Organic Chemistry. McGraw-Hill Book Company. ISBN 9781258811662.
- John D. Roberts; Ross Stewart; Marjorie C. Caserio (1971). Organic Chemistry: Methane to Macromolecules. W. A. Benjamin. ISBN 978-0805383324.
External links[edit]
- Center for Oral History. "John D. Roberts". Science History Institute.
- Mangravite, Andrew. Finding Aid to the papers of John D. Roberts, 1940-1992 (bulk 1960-2000). Science History Institute. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
Click on 'Papers of John D. Roberts Finding Aid (2013)' to go to full document.
- Caltech faculty page
- Biography in E&S
- A Video interview of Professor Roberts
- 1918 births
- 2016 deaths
- Writers from Los Angeles
- American chemists
- National Medal of Science laureates
- University of California, Los Angeles alumni
- Harvard University faculty
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty
- California Institute of Technology faculty
- University of Notre Dame people
- Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
- Guggenheim Fellows
