Nicholas J. Turro | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1938-05-18)May 18, 1938 |
| Died | November 24, 2012(2012-11-24) (aged 74)[1] |
| Alma mater | Wesleyan University California Institute of Technology |
| Known for | Contribution to organic photochemistry |
| Awards | Arthur C. Cope Award(2011) William H. Nichols Medal(2007) Willard Gibbs Award(2000) E. O. Lawrence Award(1982) ACS Award in Pure Chemistry(1974) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemist |
| Institutions | Columbia University |
| Doctoral advisor | George S. Hammond |
| Other academic advisors | Paul Doughty Bartlett |
| Notable students | Jayaraman SivaguruMiguel García-Garibay |
Nicholas J. Turro (May 18, 1938 – November 24, 2012) was an Americanchemist, Wm. P. Schweitzer Professor of Chemistry atColumbia University. He was a world renowned organic chemist and leading world expert on organic photochemistry. He was the recipient of the 2011Arthur C. Cope Award inOrganic Chemistry, given annually "to recognize outstanding achievement in the field of organic chemistry, the significance of which has become apparent within the five years preceding the year in which the award will be considered."[2][3][4][5] He was also the recipient of the 2000Willard Gibbs Award, which recognizes "eminent chemists who...have brought to the world developments that enable everyone to live more comfortably and to understand this world better."[6]
He received his B.A. degreesumma cum laude fromWesleyan University in 1960. He attended graduate school atCaltech where he received his Ph.D. degree withGeorge S. Hammond in 1963. Following a postdoctoral year atHarvard withP. D. Bartlett, he joined the faculty at Columbia University where he was the Wm. P. Schweitzer Professor of Chemistry.[7]
Although he worked in many areas of chemistry, he was most well known for his work in photochemistry and spectroscopy, which he applied to studies involving small molecules in solution, interfaces, thin films, polymers, biological systems including DNA and carbohydrates, nanomaterials,supramolecular and "super-duper" molecular systems.[8] His success in these areas is evident by his co-authorship of over 1000 papers. His expertise in photochemistry, spectroscopy and organic chemistry lead to a large network of international collaborators, including Fortune 500 companies such asProcter and Gamble.
He authored the influential booksMolecular Photochemistry published in 1965, considered the "bible" of the field for several generations byorganic photochemists, andModern Molecular Photochemistry published in 1978. The latter was comprehensively revised asPrinciples of Molecular Photochemistry: An Introduction in 2008 and later asModern Molecular Photochemistry of Organic Molecules in 2010 both of which were co-authored with V. Ramamurthy atUniversity of Miami and J.C. Scaiano at theUniversity of Ottawa. Turro has been selected as one of the most highly cited chemists for the past two decades, and has published over 900 research papers.[9] He was a member of both theNational Academy of Sciences and theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences.[10]
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