John E. Bercaw (born December 3, 1944)[citation needed] is an American chemist and Centennial Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus at the California Institute of Technology.[1][2]
John E. Bercaw | |
|---|---|
 Bercaw in 1986 | |
| Born | December 3, 1944[citation needed] Cincinnati, Ohio[citation needed] |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | Metallocene chemistry |
| Awards | 1980 ACS Award in Pure Chemistry |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry |
| Institutions | California Institute of Technology |
| Thesis | Titanocene as a reactive intermediate in the reduction of molecular hydrogen and nitrogen (1971) |
| Doctoral advisor | Hans-Herbert Brintzinger |
| Other academic advisors | Jack Halpern |
| Doctoral students | Peter T. Wolczanski, Paul Chirik, Barbara Burger |
| Other notable students | Don Tilley, Gregory L. Hillhouse, Gerard Parkin, Christopher W. Jones, Guillermo Bazan |
| Website | www |
Early life and education
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio,[citation needed] Bercaw obtained his bachelor of science in 1967 from North Carolina State University and later his PhD from the University of Michigan in 1971 under the direction of Hans-Herbert Brintzinger,[3] followed by postdoctoral research with Jack Halpern at the University of Chicago.[4]
Career
He joined the faculty at the Caltech in 1972. Bercaw was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1991.[5]
He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences (elected 1990), and he has received several national awards from the American Chemical Society (see below).[6]
His research interests are in synthetic, structural and mechanistic organotransition metal chemistry, including most recently catalysts for polymerization and trimerization of olefins and investigations of hydrocarbon hydroxylation; fundamental transformations and thermodynamics of organotransition metal chemistry; catalysts for hydrocarbon partial oxidation; catalysts for olefin trimerization and polymerization; homogeneous transformations of carbon monoxide and dihydrogen to fuels and chemicals.
Prof. Bercaw has greatly enhanced our understanding of the mechanisms of Ziegler-Natta (ZN) olefin polymerizations. This metal-catalyzed polymerization process is operated on a vast scale and produces, worldwide, over 200 billion pounds of polyolefins per year. Bercaw’s work has led to a fundamental understanding of the detailed mechanisms of chain growth in ZN polymerizations and the factors which control syndio- and isotacticities and the degree of comonomer incorporation in copolymerizations; these variables are critical in determining the physical properties of the resultant polymers and copolymers.
Commercial processes have been based on Bercaw’s discoveries. For example, new and superior ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymers are now industrially produced with titanium catalysts utilizing (η5- C5Me4)SiMe2NCMe3 and related ligands devised in Bercaw’s laboratories. These copolymers have proved to have superior properties. These types of systems have also allowed superior methods for production of ethylene/propylene and ethylene/propylene/diene elastomers.
Awards
Source:[7]
| Year | Awards | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | ACS Award in Pure Chemistry | ||
| 1990 | ACS Award in Organometallic Chemistry | ||
| 1997 | ACS Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Inorganic Chemistry | ||
| 1999 | ACS George A. Olah Award in Hydrocarbon or Petroleum Chemistry | ||
| 1999 | American Institute of Chemists Chemical Pioneer Award | ||
| 2000 | ACS Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award | ||
| 2005 | Northwestern University - Chemistry Department's Basolo Medal | ||
| 2008 | University of Chicago Chemistry Department Closs Lecturer | ||
| 2013 | Southern California Section of the ACS Tolman Medal[8] | ||
| 2014 | Willard Gibbs Award[9] | ||
| 2017 | Gabor A. Somorjai Award for Creative Research in Catalysis[7] |