Richard Errett Smalley | |
|---|---|
 Richard Errett Smalley | |
| Born | (1943-06-06)June 6, 1943 |
| Died | October 28, 2005(2005-10-28) (aged 62) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Hope College University of Michigan Princeton University |
| Known for | buckminsterfullerene |
| Awards | Irving Langmuir Award(1991) E. O. Lawrence Award(1991) EPS Europhysics Prize(1994) Nobel Prize in Chemistry(1996) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Rice University University of Chicago |
| Thesis | The lower electronic states of 1,3,5 symtriazine (1974) |
| Doctoral advisor | Elliot R. Bernstein |
Richard Errett Smalley (June 6, 1943 – October 28, 2005) was an American chemist who was the Gene andNorman Hackerman Professor ofChemistry,Physics, andAstronomy atRice University. In 1996, along withRobert Curl, also a professor of chemistry at Rice, andHarold Kroto, a professor at the University of Sussex, he was awarded theNobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of a new form of carbon,buckminsterfullerene, also known as buckyballs. He was an advocate of nanotechnology and its applications.
Smalley, the youngest of 4 siblings, was born inAkron,Ohio on June 6, 1943, to Frank Dudley Smalley, Jr., and Esther Virginia Rhoads.[1] He grew up inKansas City, Missouri.[2] Richard Smalley credits his father, mother and aunt as formative influences in industry, science and chemistry. His father, Frank Dudley Smalley, Jr. worked with mechanical and electrical equipment and eventually became CEO of a trade journal for farm implements calledImplement and Tractor. His mother, Esther Rhoads Smalley, completed her B.A. Degree while Richard was a teenager. She was particularly inspired by mathematician Norman N. Royall Jr., who taught Foundations of Physical Science, and communicated her love of science to her son through long conversations and joint activities. Smalley's maternal aunt, pioneering female chemistSara Jane Rhoads, interested Smalley in the field of chemistry, letting him work in her organic chemistry laboratory, and suggesting that he attend Hope College, which had a strong chemistry program.[3]
Smalley attendedHope College for two years before transferring to theUniversity of Michigan where he received his Bachelor of Science in 1965, performing undergraduate research in the laboratory ofRaoul Kopelman.[4] Between his studies, he also worked in industry, where he developed his unique managerial style. He received his Ph.D. fromPrinceton University in 1973 after completing a doctoral dissertation, titled "The lower electronic states of 1,3,5 (sym)-triazine", under the supervision of Elliot R. Bernstein.[5] He did postdoctoral work at theUniversity of Chicago from 1973 to 1976, withDonald Levy andLennard Wharton where he was a pioneer in the development ofsupersonic beamlaser spectroscopy.[6]
In 1976, Smalley joinedRice University.[6] In 1982, he was appointed to the Gene and Norman Hackerman Chair in Chemistry at Rice. He helped to found the Rice Quantum Institute in 1979, serving as chairman from 1986 to 1996. In 1990, he became also a professor in the department of physics. In 1990, he helped to found the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology. In 1996, he was appointed its director.[7]
He became a member of theNational Academy of Sciences in 1990, and theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1991.[7]
Smalley's research inphysical chemistry investigated the formation of inorganic and semiconductor clusters using pulsed molecular beams and time-of-flightmass spectrometry. As a consequence of this expertise, Robert Curl introduced him to Harry Kroto in order to investigate a question about the constituents ofastronomical dust. These are carbon-rich grains expelled by old stars such asR Coronae Borealis. The result of this collaboration was the discovery of C60 (known as Buckyballs) and the fullerenes as the thirdallotropic form of carbon.[8]
Smalley recognized that the structure of C60 was like that of a soccer ball after cutting and tapping hexagons together in a three-dimensional manner, utilizing 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons.[9] He was also responsible for the name of C60, naming it after Buckminster Fuller, an American architect who was known for his use of geodesic domes in his designs.[10]
The research that earned Kroto, Smalley and Curl the Nobel Prize mostly comprised three articles. First was the discovery of C60 in the November 14, 1985, issue ofNature, "C60: Buckminsterfullerene".[11] The second article detailed the discovery of theendohedral fullerenes in "Lanthanum Complexes of Spheroidal Carbon Shells" in theJournal of the American Chemical Society (1985).[12] The third announced the discovery of the fullerenes in "Reactivity of Large Carbon Clusters: Spheroidal Carbon Shells and Their Possible Relevance to the Formation and Morphology of Soot" in theJournal of Physical Chemistry (1986).[13]
Although only three people can be cited for a Nobel Prize, graduate studentsJames R. Heath, Yuan Liu, andSean C. O'Brien participated in the work. Smalley mentioned Heath and O'Brien in his Nobel Lecture. Heath went on to become a professor at theCalifornia Institute of Technology (Caltech) and O'Brien joinedTexas Instruments and is now at MEMtronics. Yuan Liu is a Senior Staff Scientist atOak Ridge National Laboratory.[14]
This research is significant for the discovery of a new allotrope of carbon known as afullerene. Otherallotropes of carbon includegraphite, diamond andgraphene. Harry Kroto's 1985 paper entitled "C60: Buckminsterfullerine", published with colleagues J. R. Heath, S. C. O'Brien, R. F. Curl, and R. E. Smalley, was honored by a Citation for Chemical Breakthrough Award from the Division of History of Chemistry of theAmerican Chemical Society, presented to Rice University in 2015.[15][16] The discovery of fullerenes was recognized in 2010 by the designation of aNational Historic Chemical Landmark by the American Chemical Society at the Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology at Rice University in Houston, Texas.[17]
Following nearly a decade's worth of research into the formation of alternate fullerene compounds (e.g. C28, C70), as well as the synthesis of endohedralmetallofullerenes (M@C60), reports of the identification ofcarbon nanotube structures led Smalley to begin investigating their iron-catalyzed synthesis.[18]
As a consequence of this research, Smalley was able to persuade the administration of Rice University, under then-presidentMalcolm Gillis, to create Rice's Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) focusing on any aspect ofmolecular nanotechnology.[19][20][21] It was renamed The Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology after Smalley's death in 2005,[22] and has since merged with the Rice Quantum Institute, becoming the Smalley-Curl Institute (SCI) in 2015.[23]
Smalley's latest research was focused on carbon nanotubes, specifically focusing on thechemical synthesis side of nanotube research. He is well known for his group's invention of the high-pressurecarbon monoxide (HiPco) method of producing large batches of high-quality nanotubes.[24] Smalley spun off his work into a company, Carbon Nanotechnologies Inc. and associatednanotechnologies.[25]
Smalley and his lab worked solely in this area of study and nothing else for approximately 10 years, up until the end of his life. His research lab carried the slogan "If it ain't tubes, we don't do it" proudly.[26]
He was an outspokenskeptic of the idea ofmolecular assemblers, as advocated byK. Eric Drexler. His main scientific objections, which he termed the "fat fingers problem" and the "sticky fingers problem", argued against the feasibility of molecular assemblers being able to precisely select and place individual atoms. He also believed that Drexler's speculations aboutapocalyptic dangers of molecular assemblers threatened the public support for development of nanotechnology.[27] He debated Drexler in an exchange of letters which were published inChemical & Engineering News as a point-counterpoint feature.[28]
Starting in the late 1990s, Smalley advocated for the need for cheap,clean energy, which he described as the number one problem facing humanity in the 21st century. He described what he called "The Terawatt Challenge", the need to develop a new power source capable of increasing "our energy output by a minimum factor of two, the generally agreed-upon number, certainly by the middle of the century, but preferably well before that."[29][30]
He also presented a list entitled "Top Ten Problems of Humanity for Next 50 Years".[29][31] It can be interesting to compare his list, in order of priority, to theTen Threats formulated by the U.N.'sHigh Level Threat Panel in 2004. Smalley's list, in order of priority, was:
Smalley regarded several problems as interlinked: the lack of people entering the fields of science and engineering, the need for an alternative tofossil fuels, and the need to addressglobal warming.[29] He felt that improved science education was essential, and strove to encourage young students to consider careers in science. His slogan for this effort was "Be a scientist, save the world."[32]
Smalley was a leading advocate of theNational Nanotechnology Initiative in 2003.[33] Suffering from hair loss and weakness as a result of his chemotherapy treatments, Smalley testified before the congressional testimonies, arguing for the potential benefits of nanotechnology in the development of targeted cancer therapies. Bill 189, the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, was introduced in the Senate on January 16, 2003, by SenatorRon Wyden, passed the Senate on November 18, 2003, and at the House of Representatives the next day with a 405–19 vote. President George W. Bush signed the act into law on December 3, 2003, as Public Law 108-153. Smalley was invited to attend.[34]
Smalley was married four times, to Judith Grace Sampieri (1968–1978), Mary L. Chapieski (1980–1994), JoNell M. Chauvin (1997–1998) and Deborah Sheffield (2005), and had two sons, Chad Richard Smalley (born June 8, 1969) and Preston Reed Smalley (born August 8, 1997).[2][35]
In 1999, Smalley was diagnosed with cancer. Smalley died of leukemia,[36] variously reported asnon-Hodgkin's lymphoma[37] andchronic lymphocytic leukemia,[2] on October 28, 2005, atM.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, at the age of 62.[2][38]
Upon Smalley's death, the US Senate passed a resolution to honor Smalley, crediting him as the "Father of Nanotechnology."[39]
Smalley, who had taken classes in religion as well as science atHope College, rediscovered his religious foundation in later life, particularly during his final years while battling cancer.[40] During the final year of his life, Smalley wrote: "Although I suspect I will never fully understand, I now think the answer is very simple: it's true. God did create the universe about 13.7 billion years ago, and of necessity has involved Himself with His creation ever since."[40]
At theTuskegee University's 79th Annual Scholarship Convocation/Parents' Recognition Program he was quoted making the following statement regarding the subject of evolution while urging his audience to take seriously their role as the higher species on this planet."'Genesis' was right, and there was a creation, and that Creator is still involved ... We are the only species that can destroy the Earth or take care of it and nurture all that live on this very special planet. I'm urging you to look on these things. For whatever reason, this planet was built specifically for us. Working on this planet is an absolute moral code. ... Let's go out and do what we were put on Earth to do."[41]Old Earth creationist andastronomerHugh Ross spoke at Smalley's funeral, November 2, 2005.[42]
My short two years at Hope starting as a freshman in 1961 were immensely important to me. I went to chapel, studied religion, and attended church more than I had ever done before, and was with people who took to these issues seriously. I valued that greatly back then. Recently I have gone back to church regularly with a new focus to understand as best I can what it is that makes Christianity so vital and powerful in the lives of billions of people today, even though almost 2000 years have passed since the death and resurrection of Christ.
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