Roald Hoffmann Receives Basolo Medal

Roald Hoffmann, Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor Emeritus of Humane Letters at Cornell University, is the recipient of the 2010 Fred Basolo Medal for his work in inorganic chemistry. He will deliver a lecture during the ACS Chicago Section’s meeting at Northwestern University Technological Institute on Oct. 22.

The award is given by Northwestern and is cosponsored by the Chicago Section. It is named for Northwestern chemistry professor Fred Basolo.

In 1981, Hoffmann and chemistry professor Kenichi Fukui of Kyoto University shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for independently developing theories on which the famous Woodward-Hoffmann rules are based. The Woodward-Hoffmann rules help predict the stereochemistry of certain organic reactions. In addition to his research contributions, Hoffmann is also an accomplished poet and playwright.

Details about the award presentation are available at chicagoacs.org. Reservations may be made online or by calling (847) 391-9091.