F. Albert Cotton
F. Albert Cotton (born April 9, 1930) is the W.T. Doherty-Welch Foundation Chair and Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Texas A&M University. His particular areas of interest include the structure, synthesis, and properties of bi- and multimetallic complexes, but he has contributed to many areas involving transition metals.
Education
After a BS degree from Temple University in 1951, Cotton pursued a Ph.D. thesis under the guidance of Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson at Harvard where he worked on metallocenes.[1] He received his Ph.D. in 1955.
Independent career
Cotton began his career at MIT with an emphasis on both electronic structure and chemical synthesis. He pioneered the study of multiple bonding between metals, initially with research on rhenium halides,[2] and in 1964 identified the first known quadruple bond in the Re2Cl82- ion. He soon focussed on species related to chromium(II) acetate[3] in work which continues today. He also initiated a broad study on metal cluster compounds. He was an early proponent of single crystal X-ray diffraction as a routine tool for elucidating the rich chemistry of metal complexes. Through his studies on clusters, he demonstrated that many exhibited "fluxionality", whereby ligands interchange coordination sites on spectroscopically observable time-scales. He coined the term hapticity. In the early 1970's, he moved to his current location at Texas A&M, where he has continued to be a prolific publisher and influential mentor.
Pedagogical influence
In addition to his diverse research, Cotton has contributed to the pedagogy of inorganic chemistry. He authored "Chemical Applications of Group Theory".[4] This text introduced generations of chemists to the value of group theoretical analysis of bonding and spectroscopy. With his PhD advisor, he coauthored a text known simply as "Cotton and Wilkinson".[5] The text, which has had many editions, surveys the entirety of inorganic chemistry with an emphasis on post-Wernerian themes of cluster chemistry, homogeneous catalysis, and organometallic chemistry. Prior to "Cotton and Wilkinson", instruction in inorganic chemistry was more practically driven, less connected to organometallics, and less focused on molecular structure.
Recognition
Cotton has published over 1600 papers. He has been honored throughout the world with prestigious prizes.
Criticism
There has been widespread criticism that Cotton is quick to publish work that may be considered trivial and of dubious value to the scientific community, particularly if it were submitted by a more junior scientist. This is particularly true in the area of crystal structures.
See also
References
- ^ Wilkinson, G.; Pauson, P. L.; Cotton, F. A., "Bis-Cyclopentadienyl Compounds of Nickel and Cobalt", Journal of the American Chemical Society, 1954, volume 76, pages 1970-4. DOI: 10.1021/ja01636a080.
- ^ Bertrand, J. A.; Cotton, F. A.; Dollase, W. A., "Metal-Metal Bonded, Polynuclear Complex Anion in CsReCl4", Journal of the American Chemical Society, 1963, volume 85, pages 1349-50. DOI: 10.1021/ja00892a029.
- ^ Cotton, F. A.; Walton, R. A. “Multiple Bonds Between Metal Atoms” Oxford (Oxford): 1993. ISBN 0-19-855649-7.
- ^ Cotton, F. A., "Chemical Applications of Group Theory," John Wiley & Sons: New York, 1990.
- ^ Cotton, F. A. and Wilkinson, G., "Advanced Inorganic Chemistry", John Wiley and Sons: New York, 1988.