Malcolm Green (chemist)
Encyclopedia
Malcolm Green also known as M. L. H. Green (born 16 April 1936) is a British
Emeritus Professor of Inorganic Chemistry
.
Born in Eastleigh
, Hampshire
, he received his BSc degree from Acton Technical College (London University External Regulations) in 1956 and his PhD from Imperial College of Science and Technology in 1959 under the supervision of Professor Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson
. He then undertook a post-doctoral research year with Professor Wilkinson before moving to Cambridge University in 1960 as Assistant Lecturer and being elected a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
in 1961.
In 1963 he became a Septcentenary Fellow of Inorganic Chemistry at Balliol College and a Departmental Demonstrator at the University of Oxford
. In 1965 he was made a Lecturer and he was also a Royal Society Senior Research Fellow in Oxford 1979-86. In 1989 he was appointed Professor of Inorganic Chemistry and Head of the Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory at Oxford
and Fellow of St Catherine’s College. In 2004 he became an Emeritus Research Professor and continues research with a substantial group. He was a co-founder of the Oxford Catalysts Group plc in 2006.
Green has held many distinguished visiting positions including: Visiting Professor, Ecole de Chimie and Institute des Substances Naturelles, Paris (1972), AP Sloan Visiting Professor, Harvard University
(1975), Sherman Fairchild Visiting Scholar at the California Institute of Technology
(1981) and Walter Hieber Gastprofessor, University of Munich, Germany (1991).
Green made pioneering contributions in the earliest days of development of the organometallic chemistry
of the transition metals. He was the first to demonstrate the intermolecular insertion of transition metals into carbon - hydrogen bonds known as C-H bond activation
. He designed and synthesised striking examples of metal-alkyl compounds containing metalhydrogen-carbon bonds which he named “agostic” bonds. In 1990 Green moved into the field of heterogeneous catalysts of hydrocarbon reactions and discovered highly selective metal carbide catalysts for the catalytic Partial Oxidation of Methane
. This led to the spin-off company Oxford Catalysts plc. In 1990 Green initiated fundamental studies into the world of carbon nanotubes.
His numerous awards include: from the Royal Society of Chemistry
, the Corday-Morgan Medal and Prize
in Inorganic Chemistry (1974), Medal in Transition Metal Chemistry(1978), Tilden Lecturship and Prize (1982), Medal in Organometallic Chemistry (1986), Sir Edward Frankland Prize Lecturership (1989), and the Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson Medal and Prize (2000). From the American Chemical Society
, the Annual Awards for Inorganic Chemistry (1984)
and Organometallic Chemistry (1997). From the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker
, the Karl-Ziegler Prize (1992). He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1985 and received the Davy Medal
of the Royal Society in 1995
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Emeritus Professor of Inorganic Chemistry
Inorganic chemistry
Inorganic chemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the properties and behavior of inorganic compounds. This field covers all chemical compounds except the myriad organic compounds , which are the subjects of organic chemistry...
.
Born in Eastleigh
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a railway town in Hampshire, England, and the main town in the Eastleigh borough which is part of Southampton Urban Area. The town lies between Southampton and Winchester, and is part of the South Hampshire conurbation...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, he received his BSc degree from Acton Technical College (London University External Regulations) in 1956 and his PhD from Imperial College of Science and Technology in 1959 under the supervision of Professor Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson
Geoffrey Wilkinson
Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson FRS was a Nobel laureate English chemist who pioneered inorganic chemistry and homogeneous transition metal catalysis.-Biography:...
. He then undertook a post-doctoral research year with Professor Wilkinson before moving to Cambridge University in 1960 as Assistant Lecturer and being elected a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is notable as the only college founded by Cambridge townspeople: it was established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
in 1961.
In 1963 he became a Septcentenary Fellow of Inorganic Chemistry at Balliol College and a Departmental Demonstrator at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. In 1965 he was made a Lecturer and he was also a Royal Society Senior Research Fellow in Oxford 1979-86. In 1989 he was appointed Professor of Inorganic Chemistry and Head of the Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Fellow of St Catherine’s College. In 2004 he became an Emeritus Research Professor and continues research with a substantial group. He was a co-founder of the Oxford Catalysts Group plc in 2006.
Green has held many distinguished visiting positions including: Visiting Professor, Ecole de Chimie and Institute des Substances Naturelles, Paris (1972), AP Sloan Visiting Professor, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(1975), Sherman Fairchild Visiting Scholar at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
(1981) and Walter Hieber Gastprofessor, University of Munich, Germany (1991).
Green made pioneering contributions in the earliest days of development of the organometallic chemistry
Organometallic chemistry
Organometallic chemistry is the study of chemical compounds containing bonds between carbon and a metal. Since many compounds without such bonds are chemically similar, an alternative may be compounds containing metal-element bonds of a largely covalent character...
of the transition metals. He was the first to demonstrate the intermolecular insertion of transition metals into carbon - hydrogen bonds known as C-H bond activation
C-H bond activation
Carbon–hydrogen bond activation or C−H activation may be defined as a reaction that cleaves a carbon–hydrogen bond. Often the term is restricted to reactions involving organometallic complexes and proceeding by coordination of a hydrocarbon to the inner-sphere of metal, either via an...
. He designed and synthesised striking examples of metal-alkyl compounds containing metalhydrogen-carbon bonds which he named “agostic” bonds. In 1990 Green moved into the field of heterogeneous catalysts of hydrocarbon reactions and discovered highly selective metal carbide catalysts for the catalytic Partial Oxidation of Methane
Methane
Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
. This led to the spin-off company Oxford Catalysts plc. In 1990 Green initiated fundamental studies into the world of carbon nanotubes.
His numerous awards include: from the Royal Society of Chemistry
Royal Society of Chemistry
The Royal Society of Chemistry is a learned society in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences." It was formed in 1980 from the merger of the Chemical Society, the Royal Institute of Chemistry, the Faraday Society and the Society for Analytical Chemistry with a new...
, the Corday-Morgan Medal and Prize
Corday-Morgan medal
The Corday–Morgan Medal and Prize is a prestigious award that has been made annually by the Royal Society of Chemistry since 1949 for the most meritorious contributions to experimental chemistry, including computer simulation...
in Inorganic Chemistry (1974), Medal in Transition Metal Chemistry(1978), Tilden Lecturship and Prize (1982), Medal in Organometallic Chemistry (1986), Sir Edward Frankland Prize Lecturership (1989), and the Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson Medal and Prize (2000). From the American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
, the Annual Awards for Inorganic Chemistry (1984)
and Organometallic Chemistry (1997). From the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker
Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker
The Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker is a learned society and professional association founded in 1949 to represent the interests of German chemists in local, national and international contexts...
, the Karl-Ziegler Prize (1992). He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1985 and received the Davy Medal
Davy Medal
The Davy Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of London "for an outstandingly important recent discovery in any branch of chemistry". Named after Humphry Davy, the medal is awarded with a gift of £1000. The medal was first awarded in 1877 to Robert Wilhelm Bunsen and Gustav Robert Kirchhoff "for...
of the Royal Society in 1995