Rudolph A. Marcus
Rudolph A. Marcus
Rudolph Arthur Marcusis a Canadian-born chemist who received the 1992 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his contributions to the theory of electron transfer reactions in chemical systems". Marcus theory, named after him, provides a thermodynamic and kinetic framework for describing one electron outer-sphere electron transfer. He is a professor at Caltech, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and a member of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science...
NationalityCanadian
ProfessionScientist
Date of Birth21 July 1923
CountryCanada
Rudolph A. Marcus quotes about
There were no theoretical chemists in Canada at the time, and as students I don't think we ever considered how or where theories were conceived.
In 1964, I joined the faculty of the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and I never undertook any further experiments there.
In 1978, I accepted an offer from the California Institute of Technology to come there as the Arthur Amos Noyes Professor of Chemistry.
Being exposed to theory, stimulated by a basic love of concepts and mathematics, was a marvelous experience.
During my McGill years, I took a number of math courses, more than other students in chemistry.
After a subsequent interview at Brooklyn Poly, I was hired, and life as a fully independent researcher began.
My life as a working theorist began three months after this preliminary study and background reading, when Oscar gently nudged me toward working on a particular problem.
About 1960, it became clear that it was best for me to bring the experimental part of my research program to a close - there was too much to do on the theoretical aspects - and I began the process of winding down the experiments.