P. G. Owston
Encyclopedia
P. G. Owston, BSc, PhD, DSc (January 1921 – September 2001) was a British chemist
and crystallographer
for whom the Owston Islands
in Antarctica are named. The Owston Islands lie within the region claimed by the United Kingdom
(British Antarctic Territory
), Argentina
(Argentine Antarctica
), and Chile
(the Antártica
commune in Antártica Chilena Province
). They are a group of small islands lying 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) west of Darbel Islands
in Crystal Sound
, and they were named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee. Owston was born in Saltburn-by-the-Sea
, Yorkshire
, England
during January 1921 as the son of Edward Owston and Margaret Smith. He died in Watford
, Hertfordshire
, England
in September 2001.
Owston's crystallography work included a re-determination of the structure of Zeise's salt
, the anion of which is shown at right. Zeise's salt, K[PtCl3(η2-C2H4)]·H2O, was reported in 1831 and was one of the first organometallic compounds ever discovered. However, the nature of the platinum
to ethylene
bond in the compound was not understood until the development of the Dewar-Chatt-Duncanson model
in the 1950s. The space-filling model
from the Owston crystal structure clearly shows that it is an organometallic species as there is direct bonding between the platinum metal centre (in blue) and the two carbon atoms of the ethylene ligand
(in black).
In 1964, Owston wrote an article in New Scientist
on the use of electron spin resonance spectroscopy in chemistry.
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
and crystallographer
X-ray crystallography
X-ray crystallography is a method of determining the arrangement of atoms within a crystal, in which a beam of X-rays strikes a crystal and causes the beam of light to spread into many specific directions. From the angles and intensities of these diffracted beams, a crystallographer can produce a...
for whom the Owston Islands
Owston Islands
Owston Islands is a group of small islands lying 1 nautical mile west of Darbel Islands in Crystal Sound. Mapped from surveys by Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey . Named by United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee for P. G...
in Antarctica are named. The Owston Islands lie within the region claimed by the United Kingdom
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...
(British Antarctic Territory
British Antarctic Territory
The British Antarctic Territory is a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom as one of its 14 British Overseas Territories. It comprises the region south of 60°S latitude and between longitudes and , forming a wedge shape that extends to the South Pole...
), Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
(Argentine Antarctica
Argentine Antarctica
Argentine Antarctica is a sector of Antarctica claimed by Argentina as part of its national territory. The Argentine Antarctic region, consisting of the Antarctic Peninsula and a triangular section extending to the South Pole, is delimited by the 25° West and 74° West meridians and the 60° South...
), and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
(the Antártica
Antártica
The Chilean Antarctic Territory is the territory in Antarctica claimed by Chile. The Chilean Antarctic Territory ranges from 53°W to 90°W and from the South Pole to 60°S, partially overlapping Argentine and British Antarctic claims...
commune in Antártica Chilena Province
Antártica Chilena Province
Antártica Chilena Province is the southernmost and one of four provinces in Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region . The capital is Puerto Williams...
). They are a group of small islands lying 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) west of Darbel Islands
Darbel Islands
Darbel Islands is a group of islands and rocks extending southwest from Cape Bellue for 5 nautical miles across the entrance to Darbel Bay, off the west coast of Graham Land. Charted in 1930 by DI personnel on the Discovery II and named Marin Darbel Islands after the bay in which they were...
in Crystal Sound
Crystal Sound
Crystal Sound is a sound between the southern part of the Biscoe Islands and the coast of Graham Land; northern limit Cape Evensen to Cape Leblond, southern limit Holdfast Point, Roux Island, Liard Island and Sillard Islands...
, and they were named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee. Owston was born in Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Saltburn-by-the-Sea is a seaside resort in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The town is around east of Middlesbrough, and had a population of 5,912 at the 2001 Census.-Old Saltburn:...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
during January 1921 as the son of Edward Owston and Margaret Smith. He died in Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in September 2001.
Zeise's salt
Zeise's salt, potassium trichloroplatinate, is the chemical compound with the formula KPtCl3]·H2O. The anion of this air-stable, yellow, coordination complex contains an η2-ethylene ligand. The anion features a platinum atom with a square planar geometry.-Preparation:This compound is commercially...
, the anion of which is shown at right. Zeise's salt, K[PtCl3(η2-C2H4)]·H2O, was reported in 1831 and was one of the first organometallic compounds ever discovered. However, the nature of the platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
to ethylene
Ethylene
Ethylene is a gaseous organic compound with the formula . It is the simplest alkene . Because it contains a carbon-carbon double bond, ethylene is classified as an unsaturated hydrocarbon. Ethylene is widely used in industry and is also a plant hormone...
bond in the compound was not understood until the development of the Dewar-Chatt-Duncanson model
Dewar-Chatt-Duncanson model
The Dewar–Chatt–Duncanson model is a model in organometallic chemistry which explains the type of chemical bonding between an alkene and a metal in certain organometallic compounds. The model is named after Michael J. S. Dewar, Joseph Chatt and L. A...
in the 1950s. The space-filling model
Space-filling model
In chemistry a space-filling model, also known as calotte model, is a type of three-dimensional molecular model where the atoms are represented by spheres whose radii are proportional to the radii of the atoms and whose center-to-center distances are proportional to the distances between the atomic...
from the Owston crystal structure clearly shows that it is an organometallic species as there is direct bonding between the platinum metal centre (in blue) and the two carbon atoms of the ethylene ligand
Ligand
In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. The bonding between metal and ligand generally involves formal donation of one or more of the ligand's electron pairs. The nature of metal-ligand bonding can range from...
(in black).
In 1964, Owston wrote an article in New Scientist
New Scientist
New Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of...
on the use of electron spin resonance spectroscopy in chemistry.