George W. Parshall | |
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 George Parshall in late 1980 | |
| Born | (1929-09-19)September 19, 1929 |
| Died | July 28, 2019(2019-07-28) (aged 89) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota,University of Illinois |
| Known for | organometallic chemistry andhomogeneous catalysis |
| Awards | American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal (1995) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Organometallic Chemistry |
| Institutions | DuPont Central Research |
| Thesis | (1963) |
| Doctoral advisor | Reynold C. Fuson |
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George W. Parshall (September 19, 1929 – July 28, 2019) was an Americanorganometallic chemist who made notable contributions tohomogeneous catalysis. He was a senior scientist at E. I.du Pont de Nemours and Company for many years.[1]
Born inHackensack, Minnesota, Parshall received aBachelor of Science degree with highest distinction from theUniversity of Minnesota in 1951. He received hisPh.D. inOrganic Chemistry from theUniversity of Illinois in 1954 under the direction ofReynold C. Fuson. In 1954, he joinedCentral Research Department at du Pont Experimental Station, where he rose to Director of Chemical Sciences. He took two industrial sabbaticals, one atImperial College London in 1960-61 and another atUniversity of Oxford in 1986. He was a visitingIpatieff Lecturer atNorthwestern University of the fall of 1994. Parshall is a member of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences, theNew York Academy of Sciences, theNational Academy of Sciences,Phi Beta Kappa,Phi Lambda Upsilon andSigma Xi.
Parshall is a member of theGuild of Scholars of The Episcopal Church. He married Naomi B. Simpson on October 9, 1954.
Parshall was a senior manager at du Pont during an era of rapid development and commercialization oforganometallic chemistry andhomogeneous catalysis.[2] He directed the work of 50 to 100 DuPont scientists, including that ofFred Tebbe[3] andRichard Schrock. The activation of carbon-hydrogen bonds was a recurring theme of his own research.[4][5][6][7] He conducted research on the use of molten salts in catalysis[8][9] and initiated work on organolanthanide chemistry.[10] He conducted early studies related to nitrogen fixation.[11] He was most closely associated with the DuPont processes for making critical polymer intermediates used in producingnylon andpolyester andspandex. Parshall coauthored a textbook on “Homogeneous Catalysis” withSteven Ittel.[12] Parshall also directed the development of alternatives to thechlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used inrefrigerators andair conditioners.
When Parshall retired from DuPont in 1992, he joined the effort to destroychemical weapon stockpiles in the United States and across the world. As a member of theNational Research Council’s “Stockpile Committee,” he has played a role in advising the U.S. Army in its ongoing effort to safely destroy chemical weapons.[13] TheChemical Weapons Convention called for the destruction of these chemicals, which generally fell into three types.
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