ACS Award for Creative Work in Fluorine Chemistry: Antonio Togni

Sponsor: ACS Division of Fluorine Chemistry

Citation: For research on electrophilic trifluoromethylation that combines rational experimental design, comprehensive analysis of mechanism, and detailed interpretation of structural influences on bonding and reactivity.

Current position: professor of organometallic chemistry and vice-rector for doctoral studies, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Switzerland

Education: Dipl., chemistry, ETH Zurich; Ph.D., chemistry, ETH Zurich

Togni on his scientific role model and why: “One is for sure John E. Bercaw of Caltech, the supervisor during my postdoc. From him I learned that tolerance and respect toward students and colleagues, and a good degree of modesty in science, are qualities more important than any prima-donna behavior. Another is Dieter Seebach, one of my teachers at ETH, for his exemplary integrity and rigor as a scientist.”

What his colleagues say: “Professor Antonio Togni’s contribution to fluorine chemistry is greater than the simple discovery of new, useful reagents. The greatest importance of his research lies in his elevation of the discipline of fluorine chemistry by the creative utilization of chemical bonding principles to direct the synthesis of selectively fluorinated compounds.”—John Welch, University at Albany, State University of New York