Nobelist to receive Hirschfelder prize

Roald Hoffmann, the Polish-born chemist who shared the 1981 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for independently developing a theory about the course of chemical reactions, has been named the 2000-2001 winner of the Joseph O. Hirschfelder Prize in Theoretical Chemistry.

The Hirschfelder Prize is the largest in the field of theoretical chemistry and is awarded annually by the UW–Madison Theoretical Chemistry Institute. It carries a stipend of $10,000.

Hoffmann is the Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters and Professor of Chemistry at Cornell University. As a scientist, Hoffmann has made enormous contributions to theoretical chemistry, especially with regard to the geometry and reactivity of organic and inorganic molecules and of infinitely extended structures. He is the author or co-author of more than 450 scientific articles and two books.

Hoffmann is also a writer of scholarly and popular articles on science and other subjects. His poetry has appeared in various literary magazines and in three anthologies. Most recently, he has co-authored a play with birth-control pill inventor Carl Djerassi, entitled “Oxygen.”

Hoffmann is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.

As the recipient of the Hirschfelder Prize, Hoffmann will spend three days at UW–Madison and give three talks for students, faculty and staff:

• “Electron-Rich Multicenter Bonding All Across the Periodic Table,” Wednesday, Oct. 25, 4 p.m., 1361 Chemistry.
• “A Chemical and Theoretical Approach to Bonding on Surfaces,” Thursday, Oct. 26, 4 p.m., 1361 Chemistry.
• A reading from “Oxygen,” a new play by Carl Djerassi and Roald Hoffmann, Friday, Oct. 27, 2:25 p.m., 1361 Chemistry.

The Hirschfelder Prize is named after the late Joseph O. Hirschfelder, the founder of the UW–Madison Theoretical Chemistry Institute and an influential force in modern theoretical chemistry.

Established in 1991, the Hirschfelder Prize was made possible by a gift from Elizabeth Hirschfelder, the chemist’s widow.