Henry Taube

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Not to be confused with Henry Taub.

Henry Taube
PhD) (1940)
Known forInner sphere electron transfer
AwardsWilliam H. Nichols Medal (1971)
National Medal of Science (1976)
Welch Award in Chemistry (1983)
Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1983)
NAS Award in Chemical Sciences (1983)
Priestley Medal (1985)
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry
InstitutionsCornell University, University of Chicago, Stanford University
ThesisThe interaction of ozone and hydrogen peroxide (1940)
Doctoral advisorWilliam Crowell Bray
Doctoral studentsHarold Friedman
Robert A. Plane
Maynard Olson

Henry Taube, FRSC (November 30, 1915 – November 16, 2005) was a Canadian-born American chemist who was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for "his work in the mechanisms of electron-transfer reactions, especially in metal complexes."[1] He was the second Canadian-born chemist to win the Nobel Prize, and remains the only Saskatchewanian-born Nobel laureate. Taube completed his undergraduate and master's degrees at the University of Saskatchewan, and his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. After finishing graduate school, Taube worked at Cornell University, the University of Chicago and Stanford University.

In addition to the Nobel Prize, Taube also received many other major scientific awards, including the

University of California Riverside
.

Education

At 12, Taube left his hometown and moved to Regina to attend

photodecomposition of chlorine dioxide and hydrogen peroxide in solution.[4]

Research and academic career

Academic posts

After completing his education, Taube remained in the United States, becoming an instructor in chemistry at Berkeley until 1941. He initially wanted to return to Canada to work, but did not receive a response when he applied for jobs at the major Canadian universities.

Professor Emeritus at Stanford in 1986,[8] but he continued to perform research until 2001,[9] and visited his labs every day until his death in 2005.[10] In addition to his academic duties, Taube also served as a consultant at Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1956 until the 1970s.[11]

Research interests

Taube's initial research at

radioactive chlorine to study these reactions. He was recognized by the American Chemical Society in 1955 for his isotope studies.[12]

Taube's interest in

back bonding. This type of electron donation was key when studying the way electrons are transferred between molecules in a chemical reaction.[5]

When looking back on his research, Taube explained that he sometimes had difficulty finding graduate students willing to work on electron transfer reactions, as they preferred to work on more "exciting" projects in his laboratory focusing on the effects of isotopic tracers and kinetics.[4] Taube felt that a "primary flaw" with his correlation between electron configuration and ligand substitution was that it was described mainly in terms of valence bond theory, as crystal field theory and ligand field theory were not well established when he published his work in 1952.[4]

Awards and honors

Nobel Prize

Taube was awarded the 1983

electronic configuration for transition metal coordination complexes was still the predominant theory about the reaction chemistry of these compounds.[15] After being awarded the Nobel Prize, Taube noticed a side benefit to the prestigious award – his students paid better attention in class.[19]

Other awards

Taube was accepted as a member of the

Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1988.[25] Taube received honorary degrees from many institutions, including the University of Saskatchewan (1973), the University of Chicago (1983), the Polytechnic Institute of New York (1984), the State University of New York Stony Brook (1985),[26] the University of Guelph (1987), Seton Hall University (1988), the Lajos Kossuth University of Debrecen in Hungary (1988) and Northwestern University (1990).[8] A Nobel Laureate Plaza on the University of Saskatchewan's campus in honor of Taube and Gerhard Herzberg was dedicated in 1997.[4]

Legacy

In 1981, Taube became a founding member of the

metal complex with the formula [Ru(NH3)5]2(C4H4N2)5+.[29] His research contributions have been honored in several ways, including a symposium at the 1982 annual American Chemical Society meeting. The annual series Progress in Inorganic Chemistry dedicated its 30th volume to Taube, entitled "An Appreciation of Henry Taube."[12] Luther College in Regina, Saskatchewan offers an annual scholarship to an entering science student in honor of Taube and his science teacher, Paul Liefeld.[30] A seminar series was created in honor of his work at Stanford. Taube gave the inaugural lecture in the series.[31]

Colleagues remember Taube as a dedicated scientist, Jim Collman of Stanford said "Henry was a scientist's scientist and a dominant figure in the field of inorganic chemistry."[31] Harry Gray, a professor at California Institute of Technology said, "He was in a class by himself, a role model and leader whom we all admired and loved."[10] Former student Peter Ford remembers that Taube "made chemistry not only challenging and stimulating, but a lot of fun as well."[32]

Personal life

Taube was born November 30, 1915, in Neudorf, Saskatchewan, as the youngest of four boys.[2] His parents were ethnic Germans from Ukraine who had immigrated to Saskatchewan from Ukraine in 1911.[2] Growing up, his first language was Low German.[14] In the 18th century, Catherine the Great encouraged Central European farmers to settle in Russia. As the rights afforded to these settlers by Catherine were gradually diminished, many of the settlers headed to North America, with Saskatchewan offering good farmland, and other incentives for immigrants.[33] Taube reflected fondly on his experiences growing up in Saskatchewan, noting: "Certainly, there is nothing about my first 21 years in Saskatchewan, taken in the context of those times that I would wish to be changed. The advantages that I enjoyed include: the marvelous experience of growing up on a farm, which taught me an appreciation of nature, and taught me also to discipline myself to get necessary jobs done..."[4]

After completing his graduate studies, Taube became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1942.[4] Taube married his wife Mary in 1952. They had three children, Karl, Heinrich, and Linda. His stepdaughter Marianna died of cancer in 1998. When he stopped his active research projects in 2001, Taube continued to be available as a reviewer and consultant, but his main goal was "enjoying life".[19] Away from chemistry, Taube had varied interests including gardening and classical music, mainly opera.[7] In 2003 he was one of 22 Nobel laureates who signed the Humanist Manifesto.[34]

Taube died at his home in Palo Alto, California on November 16, 2005, at the age of 89.[35]

References

  1. ^ "Press Release: The 1983 Nobel Prize in Chemistry". NobelPrize.org The Official Website of the Nobel Prize. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Taube, Henry (1915–2005)". University of Regina. Archived from the original on March 28, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
  3. ^ Trembath, Sean (January 6, 2017). "Chemist Henry Taube was Saskatchewan's first Nobel laureate". The Star Phoenix. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Van Houten, J. (July 2002). "A Century of Chemical Dynamics Traced Through the Nobel Prizes: Henry Taube 1983" (PDF). Journal of Chemical Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7876-2760-7
    .
  6. ^ "Henry Taube Biography". The Biography Channel. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
  7. ^ a b c d "Memorial Resolution: Henry Taube" (PDF). Stanford University Senate. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 2, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Henry Taube – Curriculum Vitae". Nobel Web. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
  9. PMID 16933904
    .
  10. ^ a b Wilson, Elizabeth K. (November 18, 2005). "Nobelist Henry Taube Dead at 89". Chemical and Engineering News. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  11. ^ Jackson, Jasper A. (November 1985). "Early History of NMR at Los Alamos" (PDF). International Atomic Energy Agency. pp. 3, 7. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
  12. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8412-3456-7
    .
  13. doi:10.1021/cr60155a003
    .
  14. ^
    doi:10.1016/j.ccr.2004.09.010
    .
  15. ^
    PMID 17776218
    .
  16. ^ "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry Henry Taube 1983". Nobel Web. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
  17. ^ "Award Ceremony Speech". Nobel Web. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
  18. ^ "Henry Taube – Nobel Lecture". Nobel Web. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
  19. ^ a b "Nobel laureate Henry Taube". Stanford Report. October 3, 2001. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  20. ^ "Henry Taube". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  21. ^ "US NSF – The President's National Medal of Science: Recipient Details". The National Science Foundation. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  22. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  23. ^ "Priestley Medal". American Chemical Society. Archived from the original on October 21, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  24. American Academy of Achievement
    .
  25. doi:10.1098/rsbm.2020.0042
    .
  26. ^ "SUNY Honorary Degrees". SUNY. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
  27. ^ "About Us". World Cultural Council. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  28. ISBN 978-0-12-683850-3
    .
  29. doi:10.1021/ja01042a072
    .
  30. ^ "Awards for entering students". Luther College, University of Regina. Archived from the original on January 2, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  31. ^ a b "Taube Lecture". Stanford University, Chemistry Department. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  32. ^ Rubenstein, Steve (November 19, 2005). "Henry Taube – Nobel in chemistry". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  33. ^ "German Settlements". The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Archived from the original on May 5, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  34. ^ "Notable Signers". Humanism and Its Aspirations. American Humanist Association. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  35. ^ Shwartz, Mark (November 17, 2005). "Henry Taube, recipient of Nobel Prize in Chemistry, dead at 89". Stanford University. Retrieved September 22, 2010.

Publications

External links

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