Roald Hoffmann
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217742408
2008-06-07T13:18:21Z
125.160.248.226
/* Artistic interests */
{{Infobox Scientist
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|birth_date = [[July 18]], [[1937]]
|birth_place = [[Zloczow|Złoczów]], [[Poland]]
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|nationality = [[Poland]]
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|field = [[chemistry]]
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|known_for = [[reaction mechanism]]s
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|prizes = [[Image:Nobel prize medal.svg|20px]][[1981]] [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]]
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}}'''Roald Hoffmann''' (born [[July 18]], [[1937]])<ref>Hoffmann's birth name was Roald Safran. Hoffmann is the surname adopted by his stepfather in the years after World War II</ref> is an American theoretical [[chemist]] who won the [[1981]] [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]]. He currently teaches at [[Cornell University]] in [[Ithaca, New York]].
==Early life==
===Escape from the Holocaust===
Hoffmann was born in [[Zloczow|Złoczów]], [[Poland]] (now [[Ukraine]]) to a [[Jew]]ish family and was named in honor of the [[Norway|Norwegian]] explorer, [[Roald Amundsen]]. He and his mother were among the only members of his immediate family to survive the [[Holocaust]], an experience which strongly influenced his beliefs and work. (A grandmother and several aunts, uncles, and cousins also survived.)<ref>[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5519776 The Tense Middle] by Roald Hoffmann, story on NPR. Retrieved 29 September 2006.</ref> They immigrated to the [[United States]] in 1949.
===Academic credentials===
Hoffmann graduated in 1955 from [[New York City]]'s [[Stuyvesant High School]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.roaldhoffmann.com/pn/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=11&page=1 |title=Roald Hoffmann's land between chemistry, poetry and philosophy |accessdate=2007-10-31}}</ref> where he won a [[Westinghouse Science Talent Search|Westinghouse science scholarship]]. He received his [[Bachelor of Arts]] [[academic degree|degree]] at [[Columbia University]] (Columbia College) in 1958. He earned his [[Master of Arts (postgraduate)|Master of Arts]] degree in 1960 and his [[Doctor of Philosophy]] degree, both from [[Harvard University]], while working under the subsequent 1976 [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry|chemistry Nobel Prize]] winner [[William Lipscomb|William N. Lipscomb, Jr.]].
==Chemistry interests==
Hoffmann has investigated both [[organic chemistry|organic]] and [[inorganic chemistry|inorganic]] substances, developing [[computational chemistry|computational]] tools and methods such as the [[extended Huckel method|extended Hückel method]], which he proposed in 1963.
He also developed, with [[Robert Burns Woodward]], rules for elucidating [[reaction mechanism]]s (the [[Woodward-Hoffmann rules]]). He also introduced the [[isolobal principle]].
==Artistic interests==
Hoffmann is also a writer of [[poetry]] published in two collections, "The Metamict State" (1987, ISBN 0-8130-0869-7) and "Gaps and Verges" (1990, ISBN 0-8130-0943-X), and of books explaining chemistry to the general public. Also, he co-authored with [[Carl Djerassi]] a play called "Oxygen" about the [[discovery (observation)|discovery]] of [[oxygen]], but also about what it means to be a scientist and the importance of process of discovery in science.
Hoffmann stars in the ''[[The World of Chemistry|World of Chemistry]]'' video series with [[Don Showalter]].
Since the spring of 2001, Hoffmann has been the host of a monthly series at New York City's [http://www.corneliastreetcafe.com Cornelia Street Cafe] called "Entertaining Science," which explores the juncture between the arts and science.
Hoffmann and [[Brian Alan]] are produced the project of English song “[[Dedication of Love]]“. That planned to raise funds by this worldwide single release to be contributed to the [[Sichuan Earthquake]] to help rebuild the area. The artists are [[BoA]], [[Wei Wei]], [[Phoebe]], [[Rusiana Gaitana]], [[Sonu]], [[Ruth Sahanaya]] and the other 3 are from [[Paris]], [[Brazil]] and [[Oman]]. <ref>http://boamyjewel.wordpress.com/2008/06/07/boa-sings-for-sichuans-earthquake/</ref>
==Awards==
===Nobel Prize in Chemistry===
In 1981, Hoffmann received the [[Nobel Prize/Chemistry|Nobel Prize in Chemistry]], which he shared with [[Kenichi Fukui]].<ref>[http://www.chem.cornell.edu/faculty/index.asp?fac=32 Cornell Chemistry Faculty Research<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===Other awards===
*[[Priestley Medal]]
*[[Arthur C. Cope Award]] in Organic Chemistry
*Organic Chemistry Award (American Chemical Society), 1969
*Inorganic Chemistry Award (American Chemical Society), 1982
*Pimentel Award in Chemical Education (1996)
*Award in Pure Chemistry
*Monsanto Award
*[[National Medal of Science]]
*[[United States National Academy of Sciences|National Academy of Sciences]]
*American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellow
*American Philosophical Society Fellow
*[[Kolos Medal]]
*Foreign Member, [[Royal Society]]
*Harvard Centennial Medalist
Hoffmann is member of the [[International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science]] and is a member of the Board of Sponsors of The [[Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]][http://www.thebulletin.org].
In August 2007, the [[American Chemical Society]] held a symposium at its biannual national meeting to honor Hoffmann's 70th birthday.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.roaldhoffmann.com Hoffmann's web site]
*[http://nobelprize.org/chemistry/laureates/1981/hoffmann-autobio.html Nobel Prize Biography]
*[http://www.kewgardensmovie.com/schedule-hoffman.html Photograph of Roald Hoffman]
*[http://www.nndb.com/people/653/000100353/ Roald Hoffmann profile, NNDB]
{{Nobel Prize in Chemistry Laureates 1976-2000}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffmann, Roald}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:Members of the National Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Galician Jews]]
[[Category:Polish Jews]]
[[Category:American chemists]]
[[Category:American poets]]
[[Category:Jewish American scientists]]
[[Category:Eli Lilly and Company]]
[[Category:Columbia University alumni]]
[[Category:National Medal of Science laureates]]
[[Category:Nobel laureates in Chemistry]]
[[Category:Polish physical chemists]]
[[Category:Polish Nobel laureates]]
[[Category:Stuyvesant High School alumni]]
[[Category:Foreign Members of the Royal Society]]
[[Category:Cornell University faculty]]
[[Category:Polish-American Jews]]
[[Category:Ukrainian-American Jews]]
[[Category:Priestley Medal]]
[[Category:Harvard Centennial Medal recipients]]
[[Category:International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science members]]
[[Category:Ukrainian Nobel laureates]]
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