Chadwick A. Tolman
Encyclopedia
Chadwick A. Tolman is an American chemist. He obtained his B.S. in Chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry as a microwave spectroscopist from U.C. Berkeley under the guidance of Professor William Gwinn.
He joined DuPont Central Research
in 1965. His early work was on late transition metal complexes with phosphorus ligands. The Tolman cone angle and Tolman electronic parameter
are named after him. In 1972, he proposed the 16 and 18 electron rule, extending the 18 electron rule to include the many examples of stable 16 electron square planar d8 complexes. Later work focused on the activation of C-H bonds by transition metal complexes and free radical oxidation of cyclohexane
for the production of adipic acid
, an intermediate in the manufacture of nylon
.
Chad was instrumental in the founding of the Delaware Science Alliance and took a year's leave of absence from DuPont to serve as Chair of the Coordinating Committee to help make the Alliance self-sustaining. The primary goal of the Science Alliances was to link scientists interested in education to teachers looking for help in the classroom. Programs include an Elementary Science Olympiad, workshops for volunteers and elementary teachers, summer fellowships in local industry for secondary teachers, and classroom visits and demonstrations by industrial scientists.
Upon retirement from DuPont in 1996, Chad taught at Delaware Technical & Community College
and University of Delaware
for a year before joining the National Science Foundation as a program officer in the Chemistry Division. That was followed by two years at the National Academy of Science in the Division of Earth and Life Sciences. His work there included studies and major reports on air pollution and air quality management.
Chad has followed and communicated about climate change issues for over 20 years. He writes a monthly electronic blog, Climate Change News. He helped write the Statement of Conscience on the Threat of Global Warming/Climate Change for the Unitarian Universalist Association
which was adopted by their General Assembly in 2006.
Chad serves on a number of advisory committees. He chairs the Energy Committee of the Delaware Chapter of the Sierra Club
, and is a member of the Advocacy Committee of the Delaware Nature Society. He is on the Energy Committee of the Delaware League of Women Voters
, and the Climate Change Task Force of the U.S. League of Women Voters
, where he helped write the Toolkit for Climate Change Action He serves on the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Advisory Committee and the Sea Level Rise Advisory Committee of the State of Delaware
.
Chad was presented the Delaware Audubon Conservation Award at the Delaware Audubon Society Annual Meeting on October 9, 2009.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry as a microwave spectroscopist from U.C. Berkeley under the guidance of Professor William Gwinn.
He joined DuPont Central Research
DuPont Central Research
In 1957, the research organization of the Chemicals Department of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company was renamed Central Research Department, beginning the history of the premier scientific organization within DuPont and one of the foremost industrial laboratories devoted to basic science...
in 1965. His early work was on late transition metal complexes with phosphorus ligands. The Tolman cone angle and Tolman electronic parameter
Tolman electronic parameter
The Tolman electronic parameter , named after Chadwick A. Tolman, is a measure of the electron donating or withdrawing ability of a ligand. It is determined by measuring the frequency of the A1 C-O vibrational mode of a complex, LNi3 by infrared spectroscopy, where L is the ligand being studied...
are named after him. In 1972, he proposed the 16 and 18 electron rule, extending the 18 electron rule to include the many examples of stable 16 electron square planar d8 complexes. Later work focused on the activation of C-H bonds by transition metal complexes and free radical oxidation of cyclohexane
Cyclohexane
Cyclohexane is a cycloalkane with the molecular formula C6H12. Cyclohexane is used as a nonpolar solvent for the chemical industry, and also as a raw material for the industrial production of adipic acid and caprolactam, both of which being intermediates used in the production of nylon...
for the production of adipic acid
Adipic acid
Adipic acid is the organic compound with the formula 42. From the industrial perspective, it is the most important dicarboxylic acid: About 2.5 billion kilograms of this white crystalline powder are produced annually, mainly as a precursor for the production of nylon...
, an intermediate in the manufacture of nylon
Nylon
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, first produced on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station...
.
Chad was instrumental in the founding of the Delaware Science Alliance and took a year's leave of absence from DuPont to serve as Chair of the Coordinating Committee to help make the Alliance self-sustaining. The primary goal of the Science Alliances was to link scientists interested in education to teachers looking for help in the classroom. Programs include an Elementary Science Olympiad, workshops for volunteers and elementary teachers, summer fellowships in local industry for secondary teachers, and classroom visits and demonstrations by industrial scientists.
Upon retirement from DuPont in 1996, Chad taught at Delaware Technical & Community College
Delaware Technical & Community College
Delaware Technical & Community College is the community college system in the state of Delaware with locations in four cities. It was created by the Delaware General Assembly in 1966 by House Bill 529. The college is fully accredited and several curricula have been accredited by various...
and University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
for a year before joining the National Science Foundation as a program officer in the Chemistry Division. That was followed by two years at the National Academy of Science in the Division of Earth and Life Sciences. His work there included studies and major reports on air pollution and air quality management.
Chad has followed and communicated about climate change issues for over 20 years. He writes a monthly electronic blog, Climate Change News. He helped write the Statement of Conscience on the Threat of Global Warming/Climate Change for the Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association , in full the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in North America, is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalist congregations formed by the consolidation in 1961 of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of...
which was adopted by their General Assembly in 2006.
Chad serves on a number of advisory committees. He chairs the Energy Committee of the Delaware Chapter of the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
, and is a member of the Advocacy Committee of the Delaware Nature Society. He is on the Energy Committee of the Delaware League of Women Voters
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...
, and the Climate Change Task Force of the U.S. League of Women Voters
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...
, where he helped write the Toolkit for Climate Change Action He serves on the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Advisory Committee and the Sea Level Rise Advisory Committee of the State of Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
.
Chad was presented the Delaware Audubon Conservation Award at the Delaware Audubon Society Annual Meeting on October 9, 2009.