Joseph Chatt
Encyclopedia
Joseph Chatt, CBE
FRS (6 November 1914 — 19 May 1994) was a renowned researcher in the area of inorganic
and organometallic chemistry
. His name is associated with the description of the pi-bond between transition metals and alkene
s, the so-called Dewar-Chatt-Duncanson model
.
Chatt received his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge
under the direction of F. G. Mann for research on organoarsenic and organophosphorus
compounds and their complexes with transition metals. He was employed at Imperial Chemical Industries from 1949 to 1962, during which time he, often in collaboration with his colleague Bernard Shaw, published influential work on the metal hydrides and metal alkene complexes. During this period, he reported the first example of C-H bond activation
by a transition metal.
In the 1960s, Chatt moved to a professorship at the University of Sussex
and subsequently assumed directorship of the Nitrogen Fixation Unit under the Agricultural Research Council. Using the coordination complex W(N2)2(dppe)2, his group first demonstrated the conversion of a dinitrogen ligand into ammonia. This work provided some of the first molecular models for nitrogen fixation
.
Among his many awards, he was recognized with the 1981 Wolf Prize "for pioneering and fundamental contributions to synthetic transition metal chemistry, particularly transition metal hydrides and dinitrogen complexes." He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1961, and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
FRS (6 November 1914 — 19 May 1994) was a renowned researcher in the area of inorganic
Inorganic chemistry
Inorganic chemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the properties and behavior of inorganic compounds. This field covers all chemical compounds except the myriad organic compounds , which are the subjects of organic chemistry...
and organometallic chemistry
Organometallic chemistry
Organometallic chemistry is the study of chemical compounds containing bonds between carbon and a metal. Since many compounds without such bonds are chemically similar, an alternative may be compounds containing metal-element bonds of a largely covalent character...
. His name is associated with the description of the pi-bond between transition metals and alkene
Alkene
In organic chemistry, an alkene, olefin, or olefine is an unsaturated chemical compound containing at least one carbon-to-carbon double bond...
s, the so-called Dewar-Chatt-Duncanson model
Dewar-Chatt-Duncanson model
The Dewar–Chatt–Duncanson model is a model in organometallic chemistry which explains the type of chemical bonding between an alkene and a metal in certain organometallic compounds. The model is named after Michael J. S. Dewar, Joseph Chatt and L. A...
.
Chatt received his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
under the direction of F. G. Mann for research on organoarsenic and organophosphorus
Organophosphorus
Organophosphorus compounds are degradable organic compounds containing carbon–phosphorus bonds , used primarily in pest control as an alternative to chlorinated hydrocarbons that persist in the environment...
compounds and their complexes with transition metals. He was employed at Imperial Chemical Industries from 1949 to 1962, during which time he, often in collaboration with his colleague Bernard Shaw, published influential work on the metal hydrides and metal alkene complexes. During this period, he reported the first example of C-H bond activation
C-H bond activation
Carbon–hydrogen bond activation or C−H activation may be defined as a reaction that cleaves a carbon–hydrogen bond. Often the term is restricted to reactions involving organometallic complexes and proceeding by coordination of a hydrocarbon to the inner-sphere of metal, either via an...
by a transition metal.
In the 1960s, Chatt moved to a professorship at the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
and subsequently assumed directorship of the Nitrogen Fixation Unit under the Agricultural Research Council. Using the coordination complex W(N2)2(dppe)2, his group first demonstrated the conversion of a dinitrogen ligand into ammonia. This work provided some of the first molecular models for nitrogen fixation
Nitrogen fixation
Nitrogen fixation is the natural process, either biological or abiotic, by which nitrogen in the atmosphere is converted into ammonia . This process is essential for life because fixed nitrogen is required to biosynthesize the basic building blocks of life, e.g., nucleotides for DNA and RNA and...
.
Among his many awards, he was recognized with the 1981 Wolf Prize "for pioneering and fundamental contributions to synthetic transition metal chemistry, particularly transition metal hydrides and dinitrogen complexes." He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1961, and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.