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Gregory
H. Robinson
Distinguished
Research Professor of Chemistry
Distinguished
Research Professor 2000
Gregory Robinson has established an active research program in
organometallic chemistry. He discovered that gallium, a low-melting
metal used for semiconductors in the computer industry, could display
the same aromaticity as carbon, thus breaking the longstanding
belief that aromatic properties are limited to organic elements.
More recently, Dr. Robinson proved that gallium could form triple
bonds, much like carbon in the organic compound acetylene. This
contradicted another distinction between organic and inorganic
chemistry. These results suggest the existence of a previously
unimagined area of gallium chemistry not only of considerable fundamental
interest but also likely to have an impact on materials science
by providing new sources of gallium-containing materials.
Source: 21st Annual Research Awards Program (2000)
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