Atwood Receives Award

Jerry Atwood has received the Supramolecular Chemistry Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry recognizing him for his pioneering work on the design and manipulation of supramolecular complexes containing intermolecular non-convalent interactions.

Atwood has been at MU since 1994, where he is a Curators’ Professor of Chemistry and chair of the department. His discovery of liquid clathrates in 1969 provided the basics of the current ionic liquid research, ultimately leading to his involvement in the emerging field of supramolecular chemistry. In 1997, he published the discovery of a chiral spherical molecular capsule held together by 60 hydrogen bonds. This work led to a strategy for the design of very large molecular capsules based on the geometrical principles of Plato and Archimedes. Beginning in 2002, Atwood published several studies in which a new view of porosity and the organic solid state is delineated. Recent discoveries have revealed robust nano-capsules based on pyrogallol[4]arenes seamed together by metal ions and the use of gas pressure to control the crystal form of pharmaceutical compounds.

The author of more than 680 research publications, Atwood’s work has been cited over 29,000 times. He has served as editor of numerous peer-reviewed journals, including a 10-year term as associate editor for Supramolecular Chemistry for Chemical Communications. Atwood currently serves as co-editor-in-chief for the New Journal of Chemistry.

The Royal Society of Chemistry is the largest organization in Europe for advancing the chemical sciences. Supported by a worldwide network of members and an international publishing business, its activities span education, conferences, science policy, and the promotion of chemistry to the public.

By Laura Lindsey, College of Arts and Science
July 11, 2012