Jump to content

John Meurig Thomas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Sir John Meurig Thomas)

Sir
John Meurig Thomas
Thomas in 2011
Born(1932-12-15)15 December 1932[3]
Gwendraeth Valley, Carmarthenshire, Wales
Died13 November 2020(2020-11-13) (aged 87)
Education
Awards
Scientific career
Institutions
ThesisThe significance of structure in carbon-gas reactions (1957)
Doctoral advisorKeble Sykes
Websitewww.ch.cam.ac.uk/person/jmt2
External videos
video icon "Can Selective Catalysts Deliver Clean Technology and Sustainability?", Sir John Meurig Thomas, 19 June 2012
video icon "Some of Tomorrow's Catalysts: Actual and Desired", Sir John Meurig Thomas, 27 May 2015
video icon "Sir John Meurig Thomas discusses Humphry Davy's development of the miner's safety lamp", The Royal Society, 31 March 2015

Sir John Meurig Thomas FLSW FRS HonFREng HonFRSE FRMS (15 December 1932 – 13 November 2020[4]), also known as JMT,[5] was a Welsh scientist, educator, university administrator, and historian of science primarily known for his work on heterogeneous catalysis, solid-state chemistry, and surface and materials science.[6][7]

He was one of the founders of solid-state chemistry, starting with his work at the University of Wales, Bangor, in 1958 when he investigated the various ways in which dislocations influence the chemical, electronic and excitonic properties of a range of solids. He was one of the first to exploit electron microscopy as a chemical tool, especially to deduce active-site reactivities from the surface topography of many minerals and crystal hydrates. At the University of Aberystwyth (1969–1978) he elucidated the surface chemistry of diamond, clay minerals, metals and intercalates by pioneering UV and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. He also initiated the field of crystal engineering of organic molecules. As head of physical chemistry department at the University of Cambridge (1978–1986), then a separate department to chemistry, he used magic-angle-spinning NMR and high-resolution electron microscopy to characterize and determine the structures of zeolites and other nanoporous catalysts. As Fullerian Professor and Director of the Royal Institution and of the Davy–Faraday Research Laboratory, he utilized synchrotron radiation to characterize, in situ, new catalysts designed for green chemistry and clean technology.[8][9]: 6–7, 623–638 

He was the recipient of many national and international awards; and, for his contribution to geochemistry, the mineral meurigite was named in his honour.[10] He was Master of Peterhouse, University of Cambridge (1993–2002), and was knighted in 1991 "for services to chemistry and the popularisation of science".[11][12]

Thomas authored more than 1200 scientific articles and several books,[13][14] including Michael Faraday and the Royal Institution: The Genius of Man and Place (1991),[15] Principles and Practice of Heterogeneous Catalysis (with W. John Thomas, 1997, 2014),[16][17] and Design and Applications of Single-Site Heterogeneous Catalysts: Contributions to Green Chemistry, Clean Technology and Sustainability (2012).[18][19]

Biography

[edit]

Early life and education

[edit]

Thomas was born and brought up in the Gwendraeth Valley, Carmarthenshire, Wales,[7] near the mining town of Llanelli,[3] where his father and brother were miners.[20]

Thomas earned a BSc degree from the University College of Wales, Swansea (later Swansea University) in 1954.[9]: 1, 480  He earned a PhD from Queen Mary College (later Queen Mary University of London) in 1958, working with Keble W. Sykes.[21][9]: 1, 796 

Personal life

[edit]

In 1959, Thomas married Margaret Edwards with whom he had two daughters, Lisa and Naomi. Margaret Thomas died in 2002.[9]: 6–8, 864 [5]

In April 2010, Thomas married Jehane Ragai of the American University in Cairo; the events took place in Cambridge and London.[9]: 13 

The recreations he lists in Who's Who include ancient civilisations, bird watching, and Welsh literature.[3]

Early career

[edit]

After a year's work for the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority as scientific officer (1957–1958), Thomas joined the Department of Chemistry at the University College of North Wales (later Bangor University) as of September 1958.[9]: 1  There he rose through the ranks from Assistant Lecturer (1958), to Lecturer (1959), to Senior Lecturer (1964) and then to Reader in 1965.[22][23] Thomas demonstrated the profound influence of dislocations and other structural imperfections upon the chemical, electronic, and surface properties of solids.[21][24]

In 1969 Thomas became a Professor and Head of Chemistry at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth,[8] where he broadened his interests in solid-state, surface and materials chemistry and pioneered new techniques for the application of electron microscopy in chemistry.[21] In 1977 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.[1]

In 1978, Thomas succeeded Jack Linnett as Head of the Department of Physical Chemistry at the University of Cambridge[8][12][9]: 856  (then a separate department from the Department of Chemistry, which covered Organic, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry). He also became a Professorial Fellow at King's College, Cambridge, holding both positions until 1986.[21]

Thomas continued developing new techniques in solid-state and materials science, and designing and synthesising new catalysts. For example, he extended his earlier electron microscopic and surface studies of minerals and intercalates to encompass the synthesis and structural determination of zeolitic materials by a combination of solid-state NMR, neutron scattering,[21] and real-space imaging.[24][12]

Director of the Royal Institution

[edit]

In 1986, Thomas succeeded Sir George Porter as Director of the Royal Institution of Great Britain, London.[8][25][9]: xx  He also became the holder of the Michael Faraday chair, and the Director of the Davy Faraday Research Laboratory (DFRL).[9]: 856  The Royal Institution was founded in 1799. Its earliest directors were Humphry Davy (1801–1825) and Michael Faraday (1825–1867). The Davy Faraday Research Laboratory opened on 22 December 1896, with funding from Ludwig Mond. It was "unique of its kind, being the only public laboratory in the world solely devoted to research in pure science".[26][27]

At this time, Thomas began using synchrotron radiation and devised techniques which combine X-ray spectroscopy and high-resolution X-ray diffraction to determine the atomic structure of the active sites of solid catalysts under operating conditions.[8][9]: 857  He also devised new mesoporous, microporous,[21] and molecular sieve catalysts.[24]

In 1987 the BBC televised Thomas' Royal Institution Christmas Lectures on crystals, continuing the tradition of lectures for children started by Faraday in 1825.[12][28] In 1991 Thomas published the book Michael Faraday and the Royal Institution: The Genius of Man and Place, which has since been translated into Japanese (1994) and Italian (2007).[9]: 531 [8][29]

In 1991, Thomas resigned as Director of the Royal Institution and the Davy Faraday Research Laboratory, to be succeeded by Peter Day.[30][31]

Return to Cambridge

[edit]

After a period as Deputy Pro-Chancellor of the University of Wales (1991–1994), Thomas returned to Cambridge in 1993 as Master of Peterhouse, the oldest college of the university.[21][32] He was the first scientist to hold the position.[12]

In 1997 Thomas co-authored the text Principles and Practice of Heterogeneous Catalysis with W. John Thomas (no relation).[16] In 1999 John Meurig Thomas was elected Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering[33] for work that "has profoundly added to the science-base of heterogeneous catalysis leading to the commercial exploitation of zeolites through engineering processes".[34]

Thomas was the author of some thirty patents,[7] some of which have made chemical processes more environmentally benign ("greener") by eliminating the use of solvents and reducing the number of manufacturing steps involved.[1] The single-step, solvent-free catalytic synthesis of ethyl acetate that he invented is the basis of a 200,000 ton/year plant in the UK, the largest of its kind in the world.[35] He devised single-step, solvent-free processes for the production of caprolactam (the raw material for nylon-6) and vitamin B3 (niacin).[8]: 52 

In 2002, Thomas stepped down from his position as Master of Peterhouse. He became Honorary Professor of Materials Science at the University of Cambridge[12] and Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at the Davy Faraday Research Laboratory of the Royal Institution.[23] He continued to be active in research at the Davy Faraday laboratory until 2006.[36][37]

Thomas' death was reported on 13 November 2020, aged 87.[38]

Awards and honours

[edit]

Thomas held an Honorary Distinguished Professorship of Materials Chemistry at Cardiff University.[34] He was an Advisory Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and at the Catalysis Center of Hokkaido University.[39] He was an Honorary Bencher of Gray's Inn.[40]

Thomas received twenty-three honorary degrees[41] from Australian, British, Canadian, Chinese, Dutch, Egyptian, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and U.S. universities, including an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from the University of St Andrews in 2012.[12] He was elected to honorary membership of over fifteen foreign academies, including the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (2013),[42] the American Philosophical Society (1992), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1990),[9]: xxii  the Accademia dei Lincei (Rome, 2012),[43] and the Russian Academy of Sciences (1994).[9]: xxii  In 1993 he was elected a Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.[44]

Other awards included the Kapitza Gold Medal from the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences (2011),[22] the Jayne Prize Lectureship of the American Philosophical Society (2011), the Bragg Prize Lectureship of the British Crystallographic Association (2010), the Sven Berggren Prize Lectureship, Lund (2010), the Ertl Prize Lectureship of the Max Planck Gesellschaft (2010), the Sir George Stokes Medal from the Royal Society of Chemistry (2005),[23] the Giulio Natta Gold Medal from the Società Chimica Italiana (2004),[9]: x  the Linus Pauling Gold Medal from Stanford University (2003),[23] and the American Chemical Society Annual Award (first recipient) for Creative Research in Heterogeneous and Homogeneous Catalysis (1999).[9]: x  He won the Davy Medal of the Royal Society[1] and the Faraday Lectureship Prize (1989) of the Royal Society of Chemistry.[45] In 1995 he became the first British scientist in 80 years to be awarded the Willard Gibbs Award by the Chicago Section of the American Chemical Society.[46] In 1967 he was a recipient of the Corday–Morgan Prize.[47]

Yellowish-white hairy meurigite on brown ruifrancoite spheres

In recognition of his contributions to geochemistry, a new mineral, meurigite, was named after him in 1995 by the International Mineralogical Association.[48][49] A hydrated potassium iron phosphate, meurigite is described as "tabular, elongated crystals forming spherical and hemispherical clusters and drusy coatings. The colour ranges from creamy white to pale yellow and yellowish brown."[10] It is found in only a few locations worldwide, of which the designated type locality is the Santa Rita mine in New Mexico.[10]

Thomas's 75th birthday was celebrated at the University of Cambridge with a symposium and several musical and social events. It was attended by Angela Merkel and Ahmed Zewail. The papers presented were published in 2008 by the Royal Society of Chemistry as Turning Points in Solid-State, Materials and Surface Science: A Book in Celebration of the Life and Work of Sir John Meurig Thomas.[9]

In 2010 Imperial College Press published 4D Electron Microscopy: Imaging in Space and Time, which he co-authored with Ahmed Zewail (Nobel Laureate, Chemistry, 1999).[50] His most recent publication is Design and Applications of Single-Site Heterogeneous Catalysts: Contributions to Green Chemistry, Clean Technology and Sustainability (2012)[18]

In 2003, he was the first scientist to be awarded the Medal of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (London) for services to Welsh culture and British public life.[11] He was also a Founding Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales[51] and a Member of its inaugural Council.[52] From 2011 he was a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for Wales.[53] He was an overseer of the Science History Institute (Philadelphia), and a member of the International Advisory Board of the Zewail City of Science and Technology (Egypt).[54]

Thomas was appointed as a Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2013.[33] In 2016, he was conferred an Honorary Fellowship by Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College (UIC), in view of his distinguished achievements in catalysis and materials science, and his dedication and outstanding contributions to the popularisation of science.[41]

In October 2016, the Royal Society awarded Thomas the Royal Medal for Physical Sciences "for his pioneering work within catalytic chemistry, in particular on single-site heterogeneous catalysts, which have had a major impact on green chemistry, clean technology and sustainability."[1][55][56] Prince Andrew, Duke of York represented queen Elizabeth II at the ceremony.[57]

Also in 2016, the UK Catalysis Hub launched a new medal that "honours the achievements of Sir John Meurig Thomas, a distinguished professor in the field of catalysis."[58] The JMT Medal will be awarded every year, to a person working in the United Kingdom, for outstanding achievement in catalysis or a closely related field.[58]

Selected scientific publications

[edit]

Books

[edit]
  • Thomas, John Meurig; Thomas, W. John (1967). Introduction to the Principles of Heterogeneous Catalysis. New York: Academic Press.[59]
  • Thomas, John M.; Phillips, Sir David, eds. (1990). Selections and reflections: the legacy of Sir Lawrence Bragg. Northwood, Middlesex: Science Reviews Ltd.[60]
  • Thomas, J. M. (1991). Michael Faraday and the Royal Institution : the genius of man and place. New York; Milton Park, Abington: Taylor & Francis Group (Japanese translation 1994, Italian translation 2007, Chinese translation 2014). ISBN 978-0-7503-0145-9.
  • Thomas, J. M.; Zamaraev, K. I.; International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, eds. (1992). Perspectives in catalysis. Oxford; Boston: Blackwell Scientific Publications. ISBN 978-0-632-03165-8.
  • Thomas, John Meurig; Thomas, W. John (1997). Principles and practice of heterogeneous catalysis. Weinheim; New York: VCH. ISBN 3-527-29288-8.[16]
  • Zewail, Ahmed H.; Thomas, John Meurig (24 December 2009). 4D electron microscopy : imaging in space and time. London: Imperial College Press. ISBN 978-1-84816-400-0.[50][61]
  • Thomas, John Meurig (2012). Design and applications of single-site heterogeneous catalysts : contributions to green chemistry, clean technology and sustainability. London: Imperial College Press.[19]
  • Thomas, John Meurig; Thomas, W. John (11 December 2014). Principles and practice of heterogeneous catalysis (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons – VCH. ISBN 978-3-527-29239-4.
  • Thomas, John Meurig (2017). The Selected Papers of Sir John Meurig Thomas. World Scientific Europe. doi:10.1142/q0055. ISBN 978-1-78634-187-7.
  • Thomas, John Meurig (2020). Architects of Structural Biology: Bragg, Perutz, Kendrew, Hodgkin. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-885450-0.

Part 1: On the design and application of solid catalysts

[edit]
  • Sheet silicates: Broad spectrum catalysts for organic synthesis.[62](See also U.S. Patent 4,999,319 (1985), which is the basis of the world's largest solvent-free, single-step production of ethyl acetate.)
  • Uniform heterogeneous catalysts: The role of solid-state chemistry in their development and design.[63]
  • New micro-crystalline catalysts Bakerian Lecture 1990.[2]
  • Solid acid catalysts[64]
  • Heterogeneous catalysts obtained by grafting metallocene complexes onto mesoporous silica[65]
  • Design, synthesis and in situ characterisation of new solid catalysts[66] (Linus Pauling Lecture, California Institute of Technology, March 1999 and Karl Ziegler Lecture, Max Planck Institute, Mülheim, November 1998.)
  • Molecular sieve catalysts for the regioselective and shape-selective oxyfunctionalization of alkanes in air[67]
  • Solvent-free routes to clean technology[68]
  • Constraining asymmetric organometallic catalysts within mesoporous supports boosts their enantioselectivity[69]
  • Highly efficient, one-step conversion of cyclohexane to adipic acid using single-site heterogeneous catalysts[70]
  • Design of a "green" one-step catalytic production of ε-caprolactam (precursor of nylon-6)[71] See also[72][73]
  • The advantages and future potential of single-site heterogeneous catalysts[74]
  • Single-site photocatalytic solids for the decomposition of undesirable molecules (Focus Article)[75]
  • Innovations in oxidation catalysis leading to a sustainable society[76]
  • Systematic enumeration of microporous solids: Towards designer catalysts[77]
  • Facile, one-step production of niacin (vitamin B3) and other nitrogen-containing pharmaceutical chemicals with a single-site heterogeneous catalyst[78]
  • Nanoporous oxidic solids: The confluence of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis[79](Based on a lecture at the Symposium of Molecular Frontiers held at the Swedish Academy of Sciences in May 2008).
  • Heterogeneous catalysis: Enigmas, illusions, challenges, realities, and emergent strategies of design[80]
  • Can a single atom serve as the active site in some heterogeneous catalysts?[81]
  • The principles of solid state chemistry hold the key to the successful design of heterogeneous catalysts for environmentally responsible processes[82]

Part 2: On new techniques

[edit]
  • Tracing the conversion of aurichalcite to a copper catalyst by combined X-ray absorption and diffraction[83]
  • Review lecture: Topography and topology in solid-state chemistry[84]
  • Resolving crystallographically distinct tetrahedral sites in silicalite and ZSM-5 by solid-state NMR[85]
  • Revolutionary developments from atomic to extended structural imaging[86]
  • Nanotomography in the chemical, biological and materials sciences[87] see also[88][89]
  • Mono- bi- and multifunctional single sites: exploring the interface between heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis[90]
  • The modern electron microscope: A cornucopia of chemico-physical insights[91]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e "John Meurig Thomas". The Royal Society. 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  2. ^ a b Thomas, J. M. (1990). "The Bakerian Lecture, 1990: New Microcrystalline Catalysts". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 333 (1629): 173. Bibcode:1990RSPTA.333..173T. doi:10.1098/rsta.1990.0158. S2CID 122668873.
  3. ^ a b c "Thomas, Sir John Meurig". Who's Who. Vol. 2014 (online Oxford University Press ed.). A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. ^ "Y gwyddonydd, yr Athro Syr John Meurig Thomas, wedi marw" (in Welsh). BBC Cymru Fyw. 13 November 2020.
  5. ^ a b Jones, Derry Wynn (April 2009). "Book Review: No Doubting Thomas. Turning points in solid-state, materials and surface science: a book in celebration of the life and work of Sir John Meurig Thomas, edited by Kenneth D. M. Harris and Peter P. Edwards". Crystallography Reviews. 15 (2): 147–150. doi:10.1080/00343400802667749. S2CID 97637525.
  6. ^ Somorjai, G. A.; Roberts, M. W. (2003). "A Tribute to John Meurig Thomas: Llongyfarchiadau ar eich penblwydd". Topics in Catalysis. 24 (1–4): 3–4. doi:10.1023/b:toca.0000003335.51469.58. S2CID 94423899.
  7. ^ a b c "Sir John Meurig Thomas". BBC Radio Wales. 22 November 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Califano, Salvatore (2012). Pathways to modern chemical physics. Springer. p. 52. ISBN 978-3-642-28179-2. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Harris, Kenneth D. M.; Edwards, Peter P., eds. (2008). Turning Points in Solid-State, Materials and Surface Science: A Book in Celebration of the Life and Work of Sir John Meurig Thomas. Royal Society of Chemistry. pp. 856–857. ISBN 978-1-84755-818-3.
  10. ^ a b c Birch, William D.; Pring, Allan; Self, Peter G.; Gibbs, Ronald B.; Keck, Erich; Jensen, Martin C.; Foord, Eugene E. (5 July 2018). "Meurigite, a new fibrous iron phosphate resembling kidwellite". Mineralogical Magazine. 60 (402): 787–793. doi:10.1180/minmag.1996.060.402.08. S2CID 58928381. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Symposium honours Professor Sir John Meurig Thomas". University of Cambridge. 13 December 2007. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Wright, Paul (22 June 2012). "Laureation Address – Professor Sir John Meurig Thomas Friday". University of St Andrews News. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  13. ^ Thomas, John Meurig (2017). Harris, Kenneth D. M. (ed.). The Selected Papers of Sir John Meurig Thomas. New Jersey: World Scientific. doi:10.1142/q0055. ISBN 978-1-78634-187-7.
  14. ^ John Meurig Thomas's publications indexed by the Scopus bibliographic database. (subscription required)
  15. ^ Thomas, J. M. (1991). Michael Faraday and the Royal Institution : the genius of man and place. New York; Milton Park, Abington: Taylor & Francis Group.
  16. ^ a b c Thomas, John Meurig; Thomas, W. John (1997). Principles and practice of heterogeneous catalysis. Weinheim ; New York: VCH. ISBN 3-527-29288-8.
  17. ^ Thomas, John Meurig; Thomas, W. John (11 December 2014). Principles and practice of heterogeneous catalysis. John Wiley & Sons – VCH. ISBN 978-3-527-29239-4.
  18. ^ a b Wells, Richard; McCue, Alan (1 January 2013). "Design and Applications of Single-Site Heterogeneous Catalysts: Contributions to Green Chemistry, Clean Technology and Sustainability". Platinum Metals Review. 57 (1): 44–45. doi:10.1595/147106713x660297. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  19. ^ a b Catlow, R. (2013). "Design and Applications of Single-Site Heterogeneous Catalysis. Prof. Sir John Meurig Thomas". ChemCatChem. 5 (7): 2058. doi:10.1002/cctc.201300368.
  20. ^ McBride, J. Michael (2017). "John Thomas and Yale". In Harris, Kenneth D. M. (ed.). The selected papers of Sir John Meurig Thomas. New Jersey: World Scientific. p. 568. ISBN 978-1-78634-187-7. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g Catlow, Richard; Cheetham, Anthony K. (November 1997). "Biography: John Meurig Thomas". The Journal of Physical Chemistry B. 101 (48): 9845–9847. doi:10.1021/jp970902v. PMID 27367524.
  22. ^ a b Thomas, J. M. (11 October 2013). "Sir John Meurig Thomas". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 52 (42): 10938–10940. doi:10.1002/anie.201303486. PMID 23728741.
  23. ^ a b c d "Curriculum Vitae, Awards and Honours Professor Sir JOHN MEURIG THOMAS" (PDF). Academia Europaea. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  24. ^ a b c "Plenary Speakers". Brisbane Australia, 1–6 JULY 2001 Congress Journal. World Chemistry Congress Brisbane Australia 1–6 July 2001. 2001. p. 25. Archived from the original on 26 March 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  25. ^ James, Frank A. J. L.; Peers, Anthony (June 2007). "Constructing Space for Science at the Royal Institution of Great Britain". Physics in Perspective. 9 (2): 130–185. Bibcode:2007PhP.....9..130J. doi:10.1007/s00016-006-0303-5. S2CID 122098490. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  26. ^ Thomas, Sir John Meurig (21 March 2013). "The Royal Institute has produced some of the most important scientific discoveries of the last century – a revival is in order". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  27. ^ "History of Research at the Ri". The Royal Institution. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  28. ^ "History of the CHRISTMAS LECTURES". The Royal Institution. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  29. ^ Pelosi, Giuseppe (2017). "Historical papers". URSI Radio Science Bulletin. 2017 (363): 71–72. Bibcode:2017URSB..363...71P. doi:10.23919/URSIRSB.2017.8409432. S2CID 246537634.
  30. ^ "Directors of the Laboratory and DFRL". The Royal Institution. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  31. ^ James, Frank A. J. L. (2002). The common purposes of life : science and society at the Royal Institution of Great Britain. Burlington, Vt: Ashgate Pub. pp. 37–38. ISBN 978-0-7546-0960-5. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  32. ^ "Sir John Meurig Thomas Receives Honorary Doctorate". Chemistry Views. 3 June 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  33. ^ a b "List of Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering". Royal Academy of Engineering. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  34. ^ a b "About Honours and Awards". The Royal Society. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  35. ^ Thomas, John Meurig; Raja, Robert (2001). "Nanopore and nanoparticle catalysts". The Chemical Record. 1 (6): 448–466. doi:10.1002/tcr.10003. PMID 11933251.
  36. ^ Thomas, John Meurig (2017). "The RSC Faraday prize lecture of 1989 on platinum". Chemical Communications. 53 (66): 9185–9197. doi:10.1039/C7CC90240A. PMID 28782762.
  37. ^ Zecchina, Adriano; Califano, Salvatore (3 April 2017). Catalysis Science from the Onset to the Modern Days. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. ISBN 978-1-119-18126-2. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  38. ^ "Sir John Meurig Thomas: Welsh scientist dies aged 87". BBC News. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  39. ^ "A Citation for Honorary Fellow Professor Sir John Meurig THOMAS". United International College. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  40. ^ "This is a list of Honorary Benchers of Gray's Inn since 1883, when the Inn first used the title" (PDF). Gray's Inn. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  41. ^ a b "UIC holds 8th Graduation Ceremony and Honorary Fellowship Conferment". United International College. 29 June 2016.
  42. ^ "IUPAC 2013 Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering / New Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 52 (39): 10154–10155. 23 September 2013. doi:10.1002/anie.201305827.
  43. ^ "DETTAGLI DELLA MANIFESTAZIONE". Accademia dei Lincei. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  44. ^ "Sir John Meurig Thomas FRS HonFREng HonFRSE, FLSW". The Royal Society of Edinburgh. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  45. ^ "Faraday Lectureship Prize Previous Winners". Royal Society of Chemistry. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  46. ^ "WILLARD GIBBS AWARD" (PDF). The Chemical Bulletin (May). American Chemical Society, Chicago Section: 3. 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  47. ^ "RSC Corday–Morgan Prize Previous Winners". Royal Society of Chemistry. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  48. ^ de Fourestier, J. (1 December 2002). "The Naming of Mineral Species Approved by the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names of the International Mineralogical Association: A Brief History". The Canadian Mineralogist. 40 (6): 1721–1735. Bibcode:2002CaMin..40.1721D. doi:10.2113/gscanmin.40.6.1721. S2CID 128701814. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  49. ^ Jambor, John L.; Puziewicz, Jacek; Roberts, Andrew C. (1997). "New Mineral Names" (PDF). American Mineralogist. 82: 620–624. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  50. ^ a b Hovmöller, Sven (April 2011). "4D electron microscopy – imaging in space and time, by Ahmed H. Zewail and John M. Thomas". Crystallography Reviews. 17 (2): 153–155. Bibcode:2011CryRv..17..153H. doi:10.1080/0889311X.2010.520013. S2CID 97934253.
  51. ^ "Yr Athro Syr John Meurig Thomas". The Learned Society of Wales. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  52. ^ "Wales gets a Learned Society to call its own". University of Wales. 25 May 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  53. ^ "Internationally Respected Welsh Chemist to Speak at City Lecture". University of Wales. 1 April 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  54. ^ "Supreme Advisory Board (SAB)". Zewail City of Science and Technology. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  55. ^ "ARM technology creators among top scientists honoured by the Royal Society in 2016". The Royal Society. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  56. ^ "Sir John Meurig Thomas awarded Royal Society's Royal Medal 2016". The Learned Society of Wales. 27 July 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  57. ^ Harris, Kenneth (23 October 2016). "Royal Medal for Sir John Meurig Thomas". Chemistry Views. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  58. ^ a b "JMT Medal". Catalysis Hub. 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  59. ^ Flanagan, Ted B. (October 1968). "Introduction of the principles of heterogeneous catalysis (Thomas, J. M.; Thomas, W. J.)". Journal of Chemical Education. 45 (10): A843. Bibcode:1968JChEd..45..843F. doi:10.1021/ed045pA843.
  60. ^ "Book reviews: Selections and reflections: the legacy of Sir Lawrence Bragg". Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London. 46 (1): 196–198. January 1992. doi:10.1098/rsnr.1992.0019. S2CID 164383409.
  61. ^ Browning, Nigel D. (15 December 2010). "4D Electron Microscopy: Imaging in Space and Time 4D Electron Microscopy: Imaging in Space and Time . By Ahmed H. Zewail (California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA) and John M. Thomas (University of Cambridge, UK). Imperial College Press: London. xiii + 348 pp. $48". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 132 (49): 17642. doi:10.1021/ja1091613. ISBN 978-1-84816-400-0.
  62. ^ Ballantine, J. A.; Purnell, J. H.; Thomas, J. M. (1984). "Sheet silicates: Broad spectrum catalysts for organic synthesis". Journal of Molecular Catalysis. 27 (1–2): 157–167. doi:10.1016/0304-5102(84)85077-4.
  63. ^ Thomas, J. M. (1988). "Uniform Heterogeneous Catalysts: The Role of Solid-State Chemistry in their Development and Design". Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English. 27 (12): 1673–1691. doi:10.1002/anie.198816731.
  64. ^ Thomas, S. J. M. (1992). "Solid Acid Catalysts". Scientific American. 266 (4): 112–118. Bibcode:1992SciAm.266d.112T. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0492-112.
  65. ^ Maschmeyer, T.; Rey, F.; Sankar, G.; Thomas, J. M. (1995). "Heterogeneous catalysts obtained by grafting metallocene complexes onto mesoporous silica". Nature. 378 (6553): 159. Bibcode:1995Natur.378..159M. doi:10.1038/378159a0. S2CID 4343670.
  66. ^ Thomas, J. M. (1999). "Design, Synthesis, and in Situ Characterization of New Solid Catalysts". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 38 (24): 3588–3628. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1521-3773(19991216)38:24<3588::AID-ANIE3588>3.0.CO;2-4. PMID 10649306.
  67. ^ Thomas, J. M.; Raja, R; Sankar, G; Bell, R. G. (2001). "Molecular sieve catalysts for the regioselective and shape- selective oxyfunctionalization of alkanes in air". Accounts of Chemical Research. 34 (3): 191–200. doi:10.1021/ar970020e. PMID 11263877.
  68. ^ Thomas, J. M.; Raja, R.; Sankar, G.; Johnson, B. F. G.; Lewis, D. W. (2001). "Solvent-Free Routes to Clean Technology". Chemistry: A European Journal. 7 (14): 2973–8. doi:10.1002/1521-3765(20010716)7:14<2972::AID-CHEM2972>3.0.CO;2-Z. PMID 11495423.
  69. ^ Raja, R; Thomas, J. M.; Jones, M. D.; Johnson, B. F.; Vaughan, D. E. (2003). "Constraining asymmetric organometallic catalysts within mesoporous supports boosts their enantioselectivity". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 125 (49): 14982–3. doi:10.1021/ja030381r. PMID 14653721.
  70. ^ Raja, R; Thomas, J. M.; Xu, M; Harris, K. D.; Greenhill-Hooper, M; Quill, K (2006). "Highly efficient one-step conversion of cyclohexane to adipic acid using single-site heterogeneous catalysts". Chemical Communications (4): 448–50. doi:10.1039/b513583d. PMID 16493832.
  71. ^ Thomas, J. M.; Raja, R. (2005). "Design of a "green" one-step catalytic production of -caprolactam (precursor of nylon-6)". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 102 (39): 13732–6. Bibcode:2005PNAS..10213732T. doi:10.1073/pnas.0506907102. PMC 1236590. PMID 16166260.
  72. ^ Raja, R.; Sankar, G.; Thomas, J. M. (2001). "Bifunctional Molecular Sieve Catalysts for the Benign Ammoximation of Cyclohexanone: One-Step, Solvent-Free Production of Oxime and ε-Caprolactam with a Mixture of Air and Ammonia". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 123 (33): 8153–4. doi:10.1021/ja011001+. PMID 11506587.
  73. ^ Mokaya, R.; Poliakoff, M. (2005). "Chemistry: A cleaner way to nylon?". Nature. 437 (7063): 1243–4. Bibcode:2005Natur.437.1243M. doi:10.1038/4371243a. PMID 16251938. S2CID 4403729.
  74. ^ Thomas, J. M.; Raja, R. (2006). "The advantages and future potential of single-site heterogeneous catalysts". Topics in Catalysis. 40 (1–4): 3–17. doi:10.1007/s11244-006-0105-7. S2CID 98548193.
  75. ^ Anpo, M; Thomas, J. M. (2006). "Single-site photocatalytic solids for the decomposition of undesirable molecules". Chemical Communications (31): 3273–8. doi:10.1039/b606738g. PMID 16883411.
  76. ^ Thomas, J.; Raja, R. (2006). "Innovations in oxidation catalysis leading to a sustainable society☆". Catalysis Today. 117 (1–3): 22–31. doi:10.1016/j.cattod.2006.05.003.
  77. ^ Thomas, J. M.; Klinowski, J. (2007). "Systematic Enumeration of Microporous Solids: Towards Designer Catalysts". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 46 (38): 7160–3. doi:10.1002/anie.200700666. PMID 17628479.
  78. ^ Raja, R; Thomas, J. M.; Greenhill-Hooper, M; Ley, S. V.; Almeida Paz, F. A. (2008). "Facile, one-step production of niacin (vitamin B3) and other nitrogen-containing pharmaceutical chemicals with a single-site heterogeneous catalyst". Chemistry: A European Journal. 14 (8): 2340–8. doi:10.1002/chem.200701679. PMID 18228543.
  79. ^ Thomas, J. M.; Hernandez-Garrido, J. C.; Raja, R; Bell, R. G. (2009). "Nanoporous oxidic solids: The confluence of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis". Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. 11 (16): 2799–825. Bibcode:2009PCCP...11.2799T. doi:10.1039/b819249a. PMID 19421495.
  80. ^ Thomas, J. M. (2008). "Heterogeneous catalysis: Enigmas, illusions, challenges, realities, and emergent strategies of design". The Journal of Chemical Physics. 128 (18): 182502. Bibcode:2008JChPh.128r2502T. doi:10.1063/1.2832309. PMID 18532787.
  81. ^ Thomas, J. M.; Saghi, Z.; Gai, P. L. (2011). "Can a Single Atom Serve as the Active Site in Some Heterogeneous Catalysts?". Topics in Catalysis. 54 (10–12): 588. doi:10.1007/s11244-011-9677-y. S2CID 93575796.
  82. ^ Thomas, J. M. (2011). "The principles of solid state chemistry hold the key to the successful design of heterogeneous catalysts for environmentally responsible processes". Microporous and Mesoporous Materials. 146 (1–3): 3–10. doi:10.1016/j.micromeso.2011.05.025.
  83. ^ Couves, J. W.; Thomas, J. M.; Waller, D.; Jones, R. H.; Dent, A. J.; Derbyshire, G. E.; Greaves, G. N. (1991). "Tracing the conversion of aurichalcite to a copper catalyst by combined X-ray absorption and diffraction". Nature. 354 (6353): 465. Bibcode:1991Natur.354..465C. doi:10.1038/354465a0. S2CID 4362680.
  84. ^ Thomas, J. M. (1974). "Review Lecture: Topography and Topology in Solid-State Chemistry". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 277 (1268): 251–286. Bibcode:1974RSPTA.277..251T. doi:10.1098/rsta.1974.0051. S2CID 91717770.
  85. ^ Fyfe, C. A.; Gobbi, G. C.; Klinowski, J.; Thomas, J. M.; Ramdas, S. (1982). "Resolving crystallographically distinct tetrahedral sites in silicalite and ZSM-5 by solid-state NMR". Nature. 296 (5857): 530. Bibcode:1982Natur.296..530F. doi:10.1038/296530a0. S2CID 4360865.
  86. ^ Thomas, J. M. (2008). "Revolutionary Developments from Atomic to Extended Structural Imaging". Physical Biology. pp. 51–114. doi:10.1142/9781848162013_0004. ISBN 978-1-84816-199-3.
  87. ^ Midgley, P. A.; Ward, E. P. W.; Hungría, A. B.; Thomas, J. M. (2007). "Nanotomography in the chemical, biological and materials sciences". Chemical Society Reviews. 36 (9): 1477–94. doi:10.1039/B701569K. PMID 17660880.
  88. ^ Midgley, P. A.; Weyland, M.; Thomas, J. M.; Johnson, B. F. G. (2001). "Z-Contrast tomography: A technique in three-dimensional nanostructural analysis based on Rutherford scattering". Chemical Communications (10): 907–908. doi:10.1039/B101819C.
  89. ^ Thomas, J. M.; Johnson, B. F. G.; Raja, R.; Sankar, G.; Midgley, P. A. (2003). "High-Performance Nanocatalysts for Single-Step Hydrogenations". Accounts of Chemical Research. 36 (1): 20–30. doi:10.1021/ar990017q. PMID 12534301.
  90. ^ Thomas, J. M.; Raja, R. (2010). "Mono-, Bi- and Multifunctional Single-Sites: Exploring the Interface Between Heterogeneous and Homogeneous Catalysis". Topics in Catalysis. 53 (13–14): 848. doi:10.1007/s11244-010-9517-5. S2CID 92645183.
  91. ^ Thomas, J. M.; Midgley, P. A. (2011). "The modern electron microscope: A cornucopia of chemico-physical insights". Chemical Physics. 385 (1–3): 1–10. Bibcode:2011CP....385....1T. doi:10.1016/j.chemphys.2011.04.023.
[edit]
Cultural offices
Preceded by Director of the Royal Institution
1986–1991
Succeeded by
Academic offices
Preceded by Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge
1993–2002
Succeeded by