Steven D. Ittel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1946 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Miami University Northwestern University |
| Known for | Homogeneous catalysis and organometallic chemistry |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Inorganic chemistry |
| Institutions | DuPont Central Research |
Steven Dale Ittel (born 1946 inHamilton, Ohio) is an American chemist specializing inorganometallic chemistry andhomogeneous catalysis.
Ittel attendedMiami University inOxford, Ohio, where he received a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1968. He was then commissioned as an officer in the United StatesPublic Health Service and studiedphotochemical smog in theNew York City metropolitan area from 1968 to 1970. He attendedNorthwestern University, where he received hisPhD in chemistry under the direction ofJames A. Ibers in 1974.
Ittel worked on hydride activation oflanthanides forSystems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power (SNAP) atMonsanto'sMound Laboratories for a short time. Upon receiving his PhD fromNorthwestern University, he joinedDuPont’sCentral Research Department at theExperimental Station inWilmington, Delaware.
Ittel is best known for his contributions toorganometallic chemistry andhomogeneous catalysis. He discoveredfluxional processes in bothdiamagnetic[1] andparamagnetic[2] π-allyl organometallic complexes bearing M-H-Cagostic interactions. He was responsible for a series ofC-H activation reactions based upon fleeting zero-valent iron complexes bearing bidentate phosphorus ligands.[3][4]
While working on the air oxidation ofcyclohexane toadipic acid (an intermediate in the preparation ofnylon-66) he discovered a series of bis(pyridylimino)isoindoline complexes ofcobalt to be very effective catalysts for the decomposition of the intermediate cyclohexylhydroperoxide.[5] He led and contributed to DuPont’s technology for cobalt-catalyzedchain transfer in acrylicradical polymerization.[6] The resulting macromonomers are utilized commercially in a broad range of automotive finishes.
As a manager at DuPont, he directed the work of almost 100 DuPont scientists over the years. One major effort was on DuPont Versipolpost-metallocene catalysts forethylenecoordination polymerization andcopolymerization.[7]
Late in his career, his research interests became more diverse, yet he never left his central focus oftransition metal chemistry.Biopanning producedpolypeptides that would selectively bindminerals such asclays andcalcium carbonate tocellulose,skin,hair, and other surfaces.[8] His contributions tonanotechnology and the electronics anddisplays industries include printingcarbon nanotubes forplasma displays,[9] spin printing[10] and inkjet printing[11] ofnanomaterials, and fluoro-resists for printingOLED displays.[12] Ittel coauthored the definitive textbook,Homogeneous Catalysis,[13] withGeorge Parshall, and his work is recorded in over 150citations inChemical Abstracts. He has 60 US Patents, many more foreign patent applications and 90 publications of original research.
Ittel practices the art ofbonsai, assists the curation of the bonsai collection atLongwood Gardens,[14] and has displayed trees atLongwood Gardens and theBrandywine River Museum.
Ittel's father was a superintendent of a rural school district and a YMCA camp director, so he spent the first 19 summers of his life atCamp Campbell Gard outsideHamilton, Ohio. His mother was one of the 165 victims of theBeverly Hills Supper Club fire.
He is married to Kathleen P. Ittel, Esq. and they have two children.
