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John D. Roberts

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For other people named John D. Roberts, see J. D. Roberts (disambiguation)
John D. Roberts
Receiving the AIC Gold Medal, 2013
Born
John Dombrowski Roberts

(1918-06-08)June 8, 1918
Los Angeles, California
DiedOctober 29, 2016(2016-10-29) (aged 98)
Pasadena, California
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUCLA
AwardsACS Award in Pure Chemistry (1954)

Roger Adams Award in Organic Chemistry (1967)
Tolman Award (1974)
Willard Gibbs Award (1983)
Priestley Medal (1987)
Welch Award (1990)
National Medal of Science (1990)
Glenn T. Seaborg Medal (1991)
Arthur C. Cope Award (1994)
Linus Pauling Legacy Award (2006)

American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal (2013)
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry
InstitutionsPenn State
UCLA
Harvard
MIT
Caltech
Doctoral studentsFrank J. Weigert
George M. Whitesides

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

Roberts received both a B.A. (1941) and Ph.D. (1944) from the University of California, Los Angeles. He has 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- ) 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

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] He has 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 in the last 75 years.[19]

References

  1. ^ "Early Ideas in the History of Quantum Chemistry". U. Anders, Ph.D. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "Interview with John D. Roberts, April 25, 1987 and June 14, 1987". chemheritage.org. Chemical Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Interview with John D. Roberts (b. 1918)" (PDF). Caltech Oral History Project, Caltech Archives, Caltech. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  4. ^ Bell, Brian (29 July 2013). "Caltech's John D. Roberts Awarded Gold Medal". Pasadena Now. Archived from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b "American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal". Chemical Heritage Foundation. 30 March 2012.
  6. ^ "John D. Roberts (1918– )". National Science Foundation. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  7. ^ "The Right Place at the Right Time". WorldCat. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  8. ^ Fleur, Nicholas St (6 November 2016). "John D. Roberts Dies at 98; He Revolutionized the Field of Organic Chemistry". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  9. ^ "John D. Roberts, 1918-2016 | Caltech". The California Institute of Technology. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  10. ^ "Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter R" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  11. ^ "National Academy of Sciences, Member Directory". National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  12. ^ "Prieslty Medal winners". American Chemical Society. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  13. ^ "John D. Roberts (1918– )". National Science Foundation. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  14. ^ "Past Seaborg Medal Recipients". Glenn T. Seaborg Medal. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  15. ^ "NAS Honors 17 For Contributions To Science". The Scientist. 26 April 1999. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  16. ^ "Nakanishi Prize". American Chemical Society. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  17. ^ "Academy Honors 18 for Major Contributions to Science". News from the National Academies. 28 January 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  18. ^ ""Useful Knowledge about Magnetic Resonance Imaging," Dr. John D. Roberts (video and transcript)". Special Collections and Archives, Oregon State University. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  19. ^ "Contributors to the Chemical Enterprise: C&EN's Top 75". Chemical & Engineering News. 12 January 1998. Retrieved 5 February 2015.

Sources

  • Roberts, John D. "ABCs of FT-NMR." University Science Books, Sausalito, California, 2000.
  • "JDR." Engineering & Science 1980, 44(2), p. 10.

Books


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