Chadwick A. Tolman
| Chadwick Alma Tolman | |
|---|---|
Tolman in 1976
|
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| Born | October 1938 (age 78) Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Residence | United States |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Fields | Inorganic chemistry |
| Institutions |
DuPont Central Research, Delaware Technical & Community College, University of Delaware, National Science Foundation, National Academy of Science |
| Alma mater |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California - Berkeley |
| Doctoral advisor | William Dulaney Gwinn |
| Known for |
Tolman cone angle, Tolman electronic parameter, Selective oxidation of organics, Global Warming |
| Notable awards | Delaware Audubon Conservation Award (2009) |
Chadwick A. Tolman (born 1938) is an American chemist. He obtained his B.S. in Chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry as a microwave spectroscopist from U.C. Berkeley under the guidance of Professor William Gwinn.
He joined DuPont Central Research in 1965. His early work was on late transition metal complexes with phosphorus ligands. The Tolman cone angle and Tolman electronic parameter are named after him. In 1972, he proposed the 16 and 18 electron rule, extending Irving Langmuir's 18-Electron rule to include the many examples of stable 16 electron square planar d8 complexes. Later work focused on the activation of C-H bonds by transition metal complexes and free radical oxidation of cyclohexane for the production of adipic acid, an intermediate in the manufacture of nylon.
Tolman was instrumental in the founding of the Delaware Science Alliance and took a year's leave of absence from DuPont to serve as Chair of the Coordinating Committee to help make the Alliance self-sustaining. The primary goal of the Science Alliances was to link scientists interested in education to teachers looking for help in the classroom. Programs include an Elementary Science Olympiad, workshops for volunteers and elementary teachers, summer fellowships in local industry for secondary teachers, and classroom visits and demonstrations by industrial scientists.
Upon retirement from DuPont in 1996, Tolman taught at Delaware Technical & Community College and University of Delaware for a year before joining the National Science Foundation as a program officer in the Chemistry Division. That was followed by two years at the National Academy of Science in the Division of Earth and Life Sciences. His work there included studies and major reports on air pollution and air quality management.
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