Roald Hoffmann

Roald Hoffmann (born July 18, 1937 as Roald Safran --- Hoffmann is the surname of his stepfather) is an American theoretical chemist of Polish-Jewish origin. (See his online autobiography http://nobelprize.org/chemistry/laureates/1981/hoffmann-autobio.html)

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July 18 - 1937 - American - Polish - Jewish

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He was born in Z?oczów, Poland (now Ukraine) and named in honor of the Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen. His family immigrated to the United States of America in 1949, where he attended Stuyvesant High School, graduating in 1955. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree at Columbia University (Columbia College) in 1958, and his Master of Arts degree in 1960 and his Doctor of Philosophy degree (working under the subsequent 1976 chemistry Nobel Prize winner William N. Lipscomb, Jr.) in 1962, both from Harvard University.

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Z?oczów - Poland - Ukraine - Norwegian - Roald Amundsen - United States of America - 1949 - Stuyvesant High School - 1955 - Bachelor of Arts - Degree - Columbia University - 1958 - Master of Arts - 1960 - Doctor of Philosophy - 1976 - Chemistry Nobel Prize - William N. Lipscomb, Jr. - 1962 - Harvard University

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He has investigated both organic

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and inorganic substances, developing computational tools and methods such as the extended Hückel method, which he proposed in 1963.

Related Topics:
Inorganic - Computational - Extended Hückel method - 1963

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He also developed, with R. B. Woodward, rules for elucidating reaction mechanisms (the Woodward-Hoffmann rules).

Related Topics:
R. B. Woodward - Reaction mechanism - Woodward-Hoffmann rules

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He is also a writer of poetry published in two collections, "The Metamict State" (1987, ISBN 0813008697) and "Gaps and Verges" (1990, ISBN 081300943X), and of books explaining chemistry to the general public. Also, he wrote a play called "O2 Oxygen" about the discovery of oxygen, but also about what it means to be a scientist and the importance of process of discovery in science.

Related Topics:
Poetry - Discovery - Oxygen

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He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1981, and the Priestley Medal in 1990.

Related Topics:
Nobel Prize in Chemistry - 1981 - Priestley Medal - 1990

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He stars in the "World of Chemistry" video series with Don Showalter.

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He currently teaches at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

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Cornell University - Ithaca, New York

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