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January 2007 |
Often people outside the field need organometallic chemistry, or some aspect of it, to understand what was going on in their particular problem. The problem might be industrial, academic, etc. A resource that's easy to navigate is needed. With this reference work, a person not knowing too much about the field can zero in on what they think will help them. In particular, an electronic version would allow searching for text items which would help even more. In addition, readers can get to the primary literature, if they really want to dig down deep. |
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You’ve worked in France, England and the United States. Where are you from?
I’m from England.
When did your interest in science begin?
Well, from the earliest age. I was always looking at rocks and noting star formations, and things like that.
You can’t remember a time when you weren’t interested in science?
That’s right.
How did you come to study chemistry, specifically?
Chemistry or something of that nature was probably the first thing that I was taught in science.
Can you tell me about your education, where you went to school and what degrees you earned?
Oxford .
Did you receive your bachelor’s there?
Yes, a bachelor’s, followed by a master’s. The master’s was for survival, it wasn’t a degree by examination. The only requirement was that you stayed alive for however many years was necessary. It’s pretty unusual, but there you have it.
And where did you receive your Ph.D?
From the University of Sussex.
I know you are currently a professor at Yale. How long have you been there?
Since 1977.
What is it that you enjoy about teaching?
It’s the contact with the young people. I’m sure it’s the same for everybody.
Can you tell me how you would explain what organometallic chemistry is to a person who has no idea?
Yes, organic chemistry is the chemistry of compounds that are allied to living cells and living organisms, and inorganic chemistry is the chemistry of minerals and rocks and similar items – the inanimate world. Organometallic chemistry combines the two areas.
Would you consider organometallic chemistry a sub-category of both?
Yes, a sub-category of both organic and inorganic chemistry.
Organic and inorganic chemistry overlap, correct?
That’s right, yes, because of the existence of this field.
What are the biggest developments in organometallic chemistry?
The very recent one is the olefin metathesis catalyst from Bob Grubbs at Cal Tech that is used for an enormous number of applications; manufacturing plastics and pharmaceuticals and all sorts of things.
Applications that have a direct impact on human lives?
Yes, that’s it.
And another big development?
The other big one is polymerization catalysis which gained another Nobel Prize a few years ago. Those catalysts are the basis of the modern plastics industry. Polyethylene and polypropylene are made by organometallic chemistry. Biological organometallic chemistry is another rather recent development. There aren’t too many examples in nature of organometallic compounds operating in enzymes or in biological systems, but the number is increasing and we have some articles on that.
How do you keep up with literature in your field? Do you read mostly online, or do you pick up books and journals.
All combinations. I also talk to colleagues and listen to lectures. I look for every possible input.
What recent technologies have changed the way you study?
That would be the internet and the electronic delivery of materials, providing the ability to collaborate with distant labs.
So the internet has been more important than new tools used in chemistry?
Well, those have changed, but the enhanced ability to collaborate and to do interdisciplinary research has been more important. I used to leave written notes for my students, whereas now I send them emails. And I collaborate with many people across the globe so use of the internet minimizes the number of trips one has to do.
When was the last time you have visited one of the libraries at Yale?
I went yesterday.
What do you go to the library for?
The last trip was to look at books. It was regarding a field that I didn’t know much about but I was asked to provide a suggestion for a new book and therefore I had to find out what had been done.
Why did you go to the library instead of doing research online?
Because it seemed that the books in the library had interesting items in them. I just followed up the initial hits that I got. Sometimes you get citations within a paper. You might get a citation to a book and so you go and see what it says.
Would you like to see libraries change?
Oh, well they are going to change independent of me!
How would you like them to change?
Well, I like the old library with the musty books and the nice wood paneling, but I’m afraid all of that is gone forever.
Is Comprehensive Organometallic Chemistry III the largest publication that you’ve worked on?
Oh yes, by far.
Thirteen volumes is huge! How long did this project take, and did you have any major events along the way?
No, actually I was surprised at how smoothly it went. I couldn’t believe we would have so few problems, I was amazed.
How long did you work on it?
I suppose it must have been about two years.
How many editors did you have?
We had twelve volume editors, and we had hundreds of contributors.
What were your biggest challenges in bringing this together?
The tough part is having someone say that they are going to write something, and perhaps honestly believe they are going to write something, but then they don’t take the deadline seriously. They don’t realize that in such a huge effort the deadlines have to be respected.
Were you involved in choosing the contributors?
I just advised the volume editors of the people who I thought would be good, or particularly the type of people I thought would be good. Not all of them paid attention to what I said, but that is their privilege.
This work was one volume less than the last edition. Is that because this edition builds on the last?
Yes, that is definitely true. We also designed it a little bit differently than the last one. We had applications taking a large role. Organic chemistry is taking a much larger role than previously because organometallic chemistry has become much more important in organic chemistry so we had a huge increase in the amount of material covered.
I read that in this work you covered developments in the field since 1993 and that you predict trends in the field over the next ten years. Did the last edition predict trends, and if so, were they on the mark?
Well, in fact, it’s hard to predict a trend, and few of the authors did. We encouraged people to suggest future developments, but not too many of the authors did in fact do that. I don’t recall previous predictions. It is a very risky thing, of course.
Right, but very interesting.
It’s for everyone to decide for themselves and then choose to work on whatever it is they think is the best thing. The risk is that you ask a given author what’s the future and then they just say it's what they are doing next. It’s not so useful, unless you have a broader type of person who can take a view that isn’t anchored on exactly what that person is doing.
Who is the intended audience of this work?
We asked that at one of the organization meetings and the publishers had looked into this and told us there is a remarkably wide readership. Often people outside the field need organometallic chemistry, or some aspect of it, to understand what was going on in their particular problem. The problem might be industrial, academic, etc. A resource that's easy to navigate is needed. With this reference work, a person not knowing too much about the field can zero in on what they think will help them. In particular, an electronic version would allow searching for text items which would help even more. In addition, readers can get to the primary literature, if they really want to dig down deep.
Do you expect the electronic version to be available in the first quarter of 2007?
I certainly expect it to come reasonably rapidly.
Does this set get as basic as describing concepts of organometallic chemistry?
Yes, we do have some concept articles.
Do you provide overviews of the chemistry of each metal, things like that?
Yes, that is included.
How long do you think this set will stay current? It’s been awhile since the second edition.
How long this stays valid depends on the field. Concepts usually remain valid forever, and basic results continue to have their validity unless overturned. Biological items are notorious for changing, in other words, the ideas that people have can be shown wrong. For example, take the case of nitrogenase, an enzyme that is involved in taking nitrogen from the atmosphere and turning it into nitrogen that plants can use in the soil. At one time the key element was thought to be molybdenum, but more recently the key element has been shown to be iron. This is a case where a wildly different conclusion was come to. And then there are still mysteries about the structure. There is a mysterious central atom that is still labeled “X” on all the diagrams. Nobody quite knows what it is. We will probably find that out in the next few years. Things are constantly changing in the biological area. As we go to organic synthetic methods, new methods replace old ones. In particular, the concept of green chemistry is becoming important. In other words, how to achieve low waste production, low energy input, safe handling and so on. That has changed quite considerably the types of procedures that are sought by industry and by commercial people.
Because it’s become so much more important to people?
Yes, people are beginning to take those ideas much more seriously. That is an area where things are changing quite rapidly.
How much do you cover that?
We cover it the sense that organometallic compounds are often used as catalysts. So you have a very small amount of an organometallic compound that causes a transformation of a large amount of material, and often with minimal waste production. You just get what you want, and not a mixture of things. One of the founding principles of green chemistry is that catalysts should be used where possible because that minimizes waste and energy input.
What would you like librarians to know about this set?
I’d like them to know that a wide group of people use it. It’s not for seasoned organometallic chemists so much, because they probably know this stuff, but for graduate students and for people across all of the sciences who come to realize that they need information on this rather new area.
What have been the most rewarding aspects of your career?
Freedom, I suppose. Instead of working for a commercial concern, where one would have to follow what the company found was interesting, I’ve been fortunate to work with students and bat ideas back and forward and test things out and be a bit more independent.
What do you feel your biggest contribution to your field has been?
I think it’s for others to say. It’s not appropriate for me to boast or make a judgment.
I understand. What would you like to accomplish before you retire?
To continue enjoying the current way of life. Instead of disappearing from the map I’d like to keep going with good ideas and good interactions with colleagues and students.
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This article by Jacqui Tavis
j.tavis@elsevier.com