Steven Ittel
Encyclopedia
Steven Dale Ittel was born 1946 in Hamilton, Ohio
. His father was a superintendent of a rural school district and a YMCA camp director, so he spent the first 19 summers of his life at Camp Campbell Gard
. He is an American
chemist specializing in organometallic chemistry
and homogeneous catalysis
. He is married with two children.
in Oxford, Ohio
, where he received a Bachelors Degree in chemistry in 1968. He was then commissioned as an officer in the United States Public Health Service and studyed photochemical smog in the New York City
metropolitan area from 1968-1970. He attended Northwestern University
where he received his PhD
in chemistry under the direction of James A. Ibers in 1974.
s for Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power (SNAP) at Monsanto
's Mound Laboratories
for a short time. Upon receiving his PhD from Northwestern, Ittel joined DuPont
’s Central Research Department at the Experimental Station
in Wilmington
, Delaware
. Ittel is best known for his contributions to organometallic chemistry
and homogeneous catalysis
. He discovered fluxional
processes in both diamagnetic and paramagnetic π-allyl organometallic complexes bearing M-H-C agostic interactions. He was responsible for a series of C-H activation reactions based upon fleeting zero-valent iron complexes bearing bidentate phosphorus ligands.
While working on the air oxidation of cyclohexane
to adipic acid
(an intermediate in the preparation of nylon
-66) he discovered a series of bis(pyridylimino)isoindoline complexes of cobalt
to be very effective catalysts for the decomposition of the intermediate cyclohexylhydroperoxide. He led and contributed to DuPont’s technology for cobalt-catalyzed chain transfer
in acrylic radical polymerization
. The resulting macromonomers are utilized commercially in a broad range of aurtomotive finishes.
As a manager at DuPont, he directed the work of almost 100 DuPont scientists over the years. One major effort was on DuPont Versipol post-metallocene catalyst
s for ethylene
coordination polymerization
and copolymerization. Late in his career, his research interests became more diverse, yet he never left his central focus of transition metal
chemistry. Biopanning
produced polypeptides that would selectively bind minerals such as clay
s and calcium carbonate
to cellulose
, skin
, hair
, and other surfaces. His contributions to nanotechnology
and the electronics and displays industries include printing carbon nanotubes for plasma displays, spin printing and inkjet printing of nanomaterials
, and fluoro-resists for printing OLED displays. Ittel coauthored the definitive textbook on “Homogeneous Catalysis” with George Parshall
and his work is recorded in over 150 citations in Chemical Abstracts.
Ittel practices the art of bonsai
and has displayed trees at Longwood Gardens
and the Brandywine River Museum
. He contributes to Wikipedia regularly and maintains a website on North American Bonsai Potters.
Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton is a city in Butler County, southwestern Ohio, United States. The population was 62,447 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. The city is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area....
. His father was a superintendent of a rural school district and a YMCA camp director, so he spent the first 19 summers of his life at Camp Campbell Gard
Camp Campbell Gard
Camp Campbell Gard is a YMCA camp located on along the Great Miami River six miles northeast of Hamilton, Ohio. The camp is on Augspurger Road in St. Clair Township.-Founding:...
. He is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chemist specializing in 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...
and homogeneous catalysis
Homogeneous catalysis
In chemistry, homogeneous catalysis is a sequence of reactions that involve a catalyst in the same phase as the reactants. Most commonly, a homogeneous catalyst is codissolved in a solvent with the reactants.-Acid catalysis:...
. He is married with two children.
Training
He attended Miami UniversityMiami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
in Oxford, Ohio
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States, in the southwestern portion of the state. It lies in Oxford Township, originally called the College Township. The population was 21,943 at the 2000 census. This college town was founded as a home for Miami University. Oxford...
, where he received a Bachelors Degree in chemistry in 1968. He was then commissioned as an officer in the United States Public Health Service and studyed photochemical smog in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
metropolitan area from 1968-1970. He attended Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
where he received his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in chemistry under the direction of James A. Ibers in 1974.
Career
Ittel worked on hydride activation of lanthanideLanthanide
The lanthanide or lanthanoid series comprises the fifteen metallic chemical elements with atomic numbers 57 through 71, from lanthanum through lutetium...
s for Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power (SNAP) at Monsanto
Monsanto
The Monsanto Company is a US-based multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It is the world's leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate, marketed in the "Roundup" brand of herbicides, and in other brands...
's Mound Laboratories
Mound Laboratories
Mound Laboratories in Miamisburg, Ohio was an Atomic Energy Commission facility for Nuclear weapon research during the Cold War....
for a short time. Upon receiving his PhD from Northwestern, Ittel joined DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
’s Central Research Department at the Experimental Station
DuPont Experimental Station
The DuPont Experimental Station is the largest research and development facility of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. Located on the banks of the Brandywine Creek in Wilmington, Delaware, it is home to some of the most important discoveries of the modern chemical industry...
in Wilmington
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
, 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...
. Ittel is best known for his contributions to 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...
and homogeneous catalysis
Homogeneous catalysis
In chemistry, homogeneous catalysis is a sequence of reactions that involve a catalyst in the same phase as the reactants. Most commonly, a homogeneous catalyst is codissolved in a solvent with the reactants.-Acid catalysis:...
. He discovered fluxional
Fluxional
Fluxional molecules are molecules that undergo dynamics such that some or all of their atoms interchange between symmetry-equivalent positions. Because virtually all molecules are fluxional in some respects, e.g. bond rotations in most organic compounds, the term fluxional depends on the context...
processes in both diamagnetic and paramagnetic π-allyl organometallic complexes bearing M-H-C agostic interactions. He was responsible for a series of C-H activation reactions based upon fleeting zero-valent iron complexes bearing bidentate phosphorus ligands.
While working on the air 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...
to 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 preparation 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...
-66) he discovered a series of bis(pyridylimino)isoindoline complexes of cobalt
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
to be very effective catalysts for the decomposition of the intermediate cyclohexylhydroperoxide. He led and contributed to DuPont’s technology for cobalt-catalyzed chain transfer
Chain transfer
Chain transfer is a polymerization reaction by which the activity of a growing polymer chain is transferred to another molecule.Chain transfer reactions reduce the average molecular weight of the final polymer...
in acrylic radical polymerization
Radical polymerization
Free radical polymerization is a method of polymerization by which a polymer forms by the successive addition of free radical building blocks. Free radicals can be formed via a number of different mechanisms usually involving separate initiator molecules...
. The resulting macromonomers are utilized commercially in a broad range of aurtomotive finishes.
As a manager at DuPont, he directed the work of almost 100 DuPont scientists over the years. One major effort was on DuPont Versipol post-metallocene catalyst
Post-metallocene catalyst
A post-metallocene catalyst is a kind of catalyst for olefin polymerization. "Post-metallocene" refers to the generation of catalysts following Kaminsky catalysts, which are metallocene catalysts discovered in 1980 by Walter Kaminsky, and have been highly publicized in the olefin polymerization...
s for 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...
coordination polymerization
Coordination polymerization
Coordination polymerization is a form of addition polymerization in which monomer adds to a growing macromolecule through an organometallic active center...
and copolymerization. Late in his career, his research interests became more diverse, yet he never left his central focus of transition metal
Transition metal
The term transition metal has two possible meanings:*The IUPAC definition states that a transition metal is "an element whose atom has an incomplete d sub-shell, or which can give rise to cations with an incomplete d sub-shell." Group 12 elements are not transition metals in this definition.*Some...
chemistry. Biopanning
Biopanning
Biopanning is an affinity selection technique which selects for peptides that bind to a given target . All peptide sequences obtained from biopanning using combinatorial peptide libraries have been stored in a special database with the name MimoDB , which is freely available...
produced polypeptides that would selectively bind minerals such as clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
s and calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO3. It is a common substance found in rocks in all parts of the world, and is the main component of shells of marine organisms, snails, coal balls, pearls, and eggshells. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural lime,...
to cellulose
Cellulose
Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β linked D-glucose units....
, skin
Skin
-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...
, hair
Hair
Hair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class....
, and other surfaces. His contributions to nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
and the electronics and displays industries include printing carbon nanotubes for plasma displays, spin printing and inkjet printing of nanomaterials
Nanomaterials
Nanomaterials is a field that takes a materials science-based approach to nanotechnology. It studies materials with morphological features on the nanoscale, and especially those that have special properties stemming from their nanoscale dimensions...
, and fluoro-resists for printing OLED displays. Ittel coauthored the definitive textbook on “Homogeneous Catalysis” with George Parshall
George Parshall
George W. Parshall is a distinguished member of the organometallic chemistry and homogeneous catalysis communities and has played a key role in advising the U.S...
and his work is recorded in over 150 citations in Chemical Abstracts.
Ittel practices the art of bonsai
Bonsai
is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ...
and has displayed trees at Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens consists of over 1,077 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, United States in the Brandywine Creek Valley...
and the Brandywine River Museum
Brandywine River Museum
The Brandywine River Museum is a museum of regional and American art located on U.S. Route 1 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania on the banks of the Brandywine River. The museum showcases the art of Andrew Wyeth a major American realist painter, and his family: his father, N.C...
. He contributes to Wikipedia regularly and maintains a website on North American Bonsai Potters.