The chemistry [r] evolution

摘要

What inspired you to become a scientist? I came into science at a time when the Sputnik revolution was occurring in the US. I had a high school teacher who was very inspirational. He was a very short fellow, but when he talked about chemistry, he levitated! It was this teacher that taught me that chemistry was the place to go.rnWhy did you choose to study transition metal catalysis in organic synthesis? I started my career looking at processes surrounding dinitrogen compounds, or nitrogen in general. Looking at the aspects of catalysis became a natural progression. We looked at catalysis in biological systems, then at rhodium-catalysed systems because they had just emerged on the scene. The work was a success; it evolved faster than all of the other areas we were working on.