Kenneth Sanborn Pitzer (January 6, 1914 – December 26, 1997) was an Americanphysical andtheoretical chemist,educator, and university president.[3] He was described as "one of the most influential physical chemists of his era" whose work "spanned almost all of the important fields of physical chemistry: thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, molecular structure, quantum mechanics, spectroscopy, chemical bonding, relativistic chemical effects, properties of concentrated aqueous salt solutions, kinetics, and conformational analysis."[4]
Pitzer received hisB.S. in 1935 from theCalifornia Institute of Technology and hisPh.D. from theUniversity of California, Berkeley in 1937.[5] Upon graduation, he was appointed to the faculty of UC Berkeley's chemistry department and was eventually promoted toprofessor. From 1951 to 1960, he served asdean of theCollege of Chemistry.
Pitzer was the third president ofRice University from 1961 until 1968 and sixth president ofStanford University from 1969 until 1971. His tenure at Stanford was turbulent due to student protests.[6] Worn out by the confrontations, he announced his resignation in 1970 after a 19-month tenure. He returned to UC Berkeley in 1971. He retired in 1984, but continued research and scientific writing until his death.
Pitzer was director of research for theU.S. Atomic Energy Commission from 1949 to 1951 and a member of theNational Academy of Sciences.[7] He was elected to theAmerican Philosophical Society in 1954 and theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1958.[8][9]
As a scientist, Pitzer was known for his work on thethermodynamic properties ofmolecules.[10][11][12] While still a graduate student he discovered that hydrocarbon molecules do not rotate unhindered around their C-C bonds. There is in fact a barrier to internal rotation, an important discovery upsetting the conventional wisdom and affecting the thermodynamic properties of hydrocarbons.[4] Some of his work is summed up in thePitzer equations describing the behavior of ions dissolved in water.[4] During his long career he won many awards, most notably theNational Medal of Science and thePriestley Medal. The Ohio Supercomputing System named their new cluster Pitzer in honour of Kenneth Pitzer.[13]
In the public hearing that led to the revocation ofRobert Oppenheimer's security clearance, Pitzer testified about his policy differences with Oppenheimer concerning the development ofthermonuclear weapons.[14]
Pitzer's father,Russell K. Pitzer, foundedPitzer College, one of the fiveClaremont Colleges inCalifornia. His son,Russell M. Pitzer is also a notable chemist who is currently retired from the faculty atOhio State University.
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of Rice University 1961–1968 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of Stanford University 1968–1970 | Succeeded by |
