Richard Bader
Richard Bader | |
---|---|
Born | Richard Frederick William Bader 15 October 1931 |
Died | 15 January 2012 | (aged 80)
Education | McMaster University Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Known for | Quantum theory of atoms in molecules |
Awards |
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Scientific career | |
Institutions | H. Christopher Longuet-Higgins |
Website | https://chemistry.mcmaster.ca/bader/ |
Richard F. W. Bader FRSC FCIC (October 15, 1931 – January 15, 2012) was a Canadian quantum chemist, noted for his work on the Atoms in molecules theory. This theory attempts to establish a physical basis for many of the working concepts of chemistry, such as atoms in molecules and bonding, in terms of the topology of the electron density function in three-dimensional space.[1] Alongside the eminent chemist Ronald Gillespie, he had a significant influence on inorganic chemistry education in Canada.
He was born in 1931 in
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1980.[1][5] He was a fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada.[5] Bader has received the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship.[5] Bader was elected a Grand Fellow of the MIRCE Academy, Exeter, UK, in 2010.[6] Over his long career, he published 223 refereed articles and book chapters about chemistry and physics.[5] Bader's works in recent years are cited more than 3000 times per year.
Richard Bader discovered that electron density is very important in explaining the behavior of atoms in the molecules.[3] According to his theory, there are no atomic orbitals in the molecules. This was a new idea and went against accepted theories. He fought hard for his revolutionary ideas and found it difficult to publish.[3] In the end, the theories became more accepted and published a book Atoms in Molecules, a Quantum Theory in 1991.[1][7] Bader said: 'We had a lot of deep discussions, and it started to occur to me that chemistry was in a real bind because we had this very powerful molecular structure hypothesis that came from the cauldron of experimental physics. But everyone had their own dictionary - different people had a different idea of what a bond was. We were trying to do science with everyone using their own private dictionary. I decided that when I left, I would make it my goal to find the physical basis of chemistry.'[4] Bader helped create the widely used software program, AIMPAC, that predicts the property of molecules based on the atoms in that molecule.[4]
Bader married Pamela Kozenof, a nurse from New Zealand, in 1958.[2] They had three daughters, Carolyn, Kimberly and Suzanne.[5] He had one grandson, Alexander.[5]
References
- ^ a b c "Obituary in Canadian Chemical News". Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
- ^ a b c "globeandmail.com: Scientist had the proof his thinking was correct". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 2016-12-13.
- ^ a b c "Mr. Bontront's Grade 12 Chemistry Wiki / Richard Bader". jeanbont.pbworks.com. Retrieved 2016-12-13.
- ^ a b c Profile of Richard Bader
- ^ a b c d e f "Richard Bader, FCIC | The Chemical Institute of Canada". www.cheminst.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-13.
- ^ MIRCE Akademy Fellows
- ISBN 978-0-19-855865-1.
External links
- Richard Bader publications indexed by Google Scholar