John E. Bercaw
John E. Bercaw (born December 3, 1944) is an American chemist and Centennial Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology. [1][2]
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Bercaw obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1971 under the direction of Hans-Herbert Brintzinger, followed by postdoctoral research with Jack Halpern at the University of Chicago. [3]
He joined the faculty at the Caltech in 1972. Bercaw was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1991.[4]
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). [5]
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
| 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 |
| 2014 | Chicago Section of the ACS Willard Gibbs Award |
References
- ↑ http://www.cce.caltech.edu/faculty/bercaw/
- ↑ http://directory.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/search.cgi?searchtext=bercaw
- ↑ http://www.chemistry.illinois.edu/events/lectures/bailar/John_Bercaw.html
- ↑ "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter B". American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
- ↑ http://www2.chemistry.msu.edu/Lectureships/lectures.asp?series=MTR&Year=1993