A Life of Magic Chemistry E-Book

George A. Olah

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Seitenzahl: 493

Beschreibung

The autobiography of a Nobel Prize winner, this book tells us about George Olah's fascinating research into extremely strong superacids and how it yielded the common term "magic acids." Olah guides us through his long and remarkable journey, from Budapest to Cleveland to Los Angeles, with a stopover in Stockholm. This updated autobiography of a Nobel Prize winner George A. Olah: * Chronicles the distinguished career of a chemist whose work in a broad range of chemistry areas, and most notably that in methane chemistry, led to technologies that impact the processing and utility of alternative fuels * Is based on Olah's work on extremely strong superacids and how they yielded the common term, "magic acids" * Details events since the publication of the first edition in 2000 * Inspires readers with details on Dr. Olah's successful recent research on methanol, intended to help provide a solution to "the oil problem"

Leseprobe

A LIFE OF MAGIC CHEMISTRY

Autobiographical Reflections Including Post-Nobel Prize Years and the Methanol Economy

Second Updated Edition

George A. Olah

with

Thomas Mathew

Copyright © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permission.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Olah, George A. (George Andrew), 1927–    A life of magic chemistry : autobiographical reflections including post-Nobel Prize years and the methanol economy / George A. Olah with Thomas Mathew. – Second updated edition.       pages cm    Includes bibliographical references and index.    ISBN 978-1-118-84003-0 (cloth)  1. Olah, George A. (George Andrew), 1927–   2. Chemists–United States–Biography. I. Mathew, Thomas, 1961–   II. Title.    QD22.O43A3 2015    540.92–dc23    [B]

2015005387

Cover – Oil portrait by Kornél Zámbó

To Judy,

who made it all possible

My grandchildren Kaitlyn, Justin and Peter (December 2013)

Contents

Preface

1 Introduction

2 Perspectives on Science

3 Chemistry:

4 Growing Up in Hungary and Turning to Chemistry

5 Early Research and Teaching:

6 Move to North America:

7 Return to Academia—The Cleveland Years:

8 Moving to Los Angeles:

9 The Nonclassical Ion Controversy and Its Significance

10 From Kekulé's Four-Valent Carbon to Five- and Higher Coordinate Hypercarbon Chemistry

11 The Nobel Prize:

12 Research in Post-Nobel Years:

13 Renewable Carbon Chemistry:

14 Rendering Methanol, A Renewable Carbon Source and Fuel:

15 The Concept and Development of the Methanol Economy

16 Gone My Way

17 Concluding Remarks

Appendix My Previous Books for References and Additional Reading

Curriculum Vitae of George Andrew Olah

Professional Experience

Visiting and Honorary Professorships

Publications and Patents

Awards

Honorary Degrees

Index

EULA

Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

Preface

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Preface

My wife Judy and friends urged me to update my original autobiography published in 2001 by Wiley. In this second edition, I included much of my original autobiographical recollections of my life and my work in chemistry, adding particularly those of the intervening years. But I also added some of my more general thoughts on science. These touch on topics including the broader meaning of science in the quest for understanding and knowledge as well as their limitations. Science as a human endeavor means the search for knowledge about the physical world and the natural sciences governing it (both physical and life sciences). It does not include the spiritual or supernatural (including the area of philosophy). Inevitably, however, this leads to such fundamental questions of how it all started and developed: Was there a beginning? Was our being planned by a higher intelligence? It is an exciting struggle with these and related questions while trying to balance what we know through science and what we must admit are beyond us. My thoughts are those of a scientist who always tried, however imperfectly, to maintain his early interest in the classics, history, philosophy, and the arts. In recent years, I have tried increasingly to fill in some of the gaps, but a life actively pursuing science inevitably imposes constraints on the time that one can spend reading and studying outside one's own field of specialization. Of course, I realize only too well my limitations and the lack of depth of my background in some of these areas. Therefore, I have tried not to overreach, and I will limit my thoughts to my own understanding and views, however imperfect they may be.

This book is mainly about my life in search of chemistry. Because some of my work centered on the discovery and use of extremely strong “superacids,” some of which are now also called “magic acids,” I choose again the title A Life of Magic Chemistry. It also reflects, however, in a more general way, on the exciting and sometimes indeed even “magic” nature of chemistry, which with its extremely broad scope cuts through many of the varied sciences, truly being a central one. In recent years, I concentrated my interest to find new solutions to our depleting fossil fuel resources, particularly substituting oil with methanol in the scope of the “Methanol Economy.”

It was a long journey that led me from the banks of the Danube in Budapest, through Cleveland, to the shore of the Pacific Ocean in Los Angeles, with a side trip to Stockholm. Sometimes I still wonder how life unfolds in ways we could not have planned or even foreseen.

I thank my publisher for the interest in publishing, after nearly 15 years, an updated second edition of my original autobiography. Ms. Anita Lekhwani and Cecilia Tsai have rendered their help to get the updated second edition in print. My wife, sons, friends, and colleagues helped to improve the manuscript and commented on its many shortcomings. My particular thanks go to Jessie May, my administrative assistant, who helped in the preparation of the manuscripts and progress of the book. But mainly, I thank my colleague and friend Dr. Thomas Mathew, who through his outstanding effort made the second updated and extended edition possible.

George A. Olah

Los Angeles

July 2014

1Introduction

If we look back on the history of human efforts for understanding of our world and of the universe, these look like lofty goals that, I believe, mankind will never fully achieve. In earlier times, things were more simple. The great Greek thinkers and those who followed in their footsteps were able to combine the knowledge available of the physical world with their thoughts of the “spiritual world” and thus develop their overall philosophy. This changed with the expansion of scientific inquiry and quest for knowledge in the seventeenth century. By the twentieth century, few philosophers, except those who also had some background in the sciences, could claim sufficient knowledge of the physical world to even attempt serious consideration of its meaning. This opened up for some scientists, particularly physicists, the claim to center stage, suggesting that only science can attempt to give answers to such fundamental questions as the origin and meaning of the universe, life, our being as intelligent species, and the understanding of the universal laws governing the physical and biological world. In reality, however, humankind with all its striving for such knowledge probably never will reach full understanding. For me this is readily acceptable. It seems only honest to admit our limitations because of which human knowledge can reach only a certain point. Our knowledge will continue to expand, but it hardly can be expected to give answers to many of the fundamental questions of mankind. Chemists do not need to claim fundamental insights in the ways in which the atoms of the elements were formed after the initial “big bang,” because they are concerned only with their eventual assembly into molecules (compounds, materials). They can avoid the question of whether all these were planned and created with a predetermined goal. I will, however, briefly reflect on my own views and thoughts. They reflect to the struggle and inevitable compromises, leading to what I consider—at least for me—an acceptable overall realization that we, in all probability, never can expect a full understanding.

Science is humankind quest for better understanding and discovery of the physical and biological (life) aspects of what exists. Pasteur, the great French scientist of his time wrote, “There does not exist a category of science to which one can give the name of applied science.” This certainly is valid to the multitude of the numerous hyphenated sciences of our present time. For example, the important and significant areas (of social and political studies) and many what I would call “hyphenated sciences” which are to some extent scientific methods. They do not represent however a separate applied branch of science. They are only applications of the findings of essential basic science to the practical (applied) areas to the benefit of humankind. Applied sciences are only applications of essential knowledge of fundamental science to practical areas. They are not a specific separate area of science, which are so generally supported and pursued by society (through private individuals, governments, political parties, and public opinions). Basic (fundamental) and applied science are both essential of our never ending quest for knowledge and its application.

I was lucky to be able to work during and contribute to one of the most exciting period of science, that of the second half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century. I was also fortunate that I was mostly able to pursue my own interests in chemistry, following my own way and crossing conventional boundaries. Frequently, I left behind what Thomas Kuhn called safe, “normal science” in pursuit of more exciting, elusive new vistas. How many people can say that they had a fulfilling, happy life doing what they love to do and were even paid for it? Thus, when people ask me whether I still work, my answer is that I do, but chemistry was never really work for me. It was and still is my passion, my hobby. I do not have many other interests outside chemistry, except for my family and my continuous learning about a wide range of topics through reading. Thus the long hours I still spend on science come naturally to me and are very enjoyable. If, one day, the joy and satisfaction that chemistry gives me should cease or my capabilities decline so that I can make no further meaningful contributions (including helping my younger colleagues in their own development and efforts), I will walk away from it without hesitation.

I always was interested in attempting to link the results of my basic research with practical uses including environmentally friendly ways. This in recent years meant finding new ways of producing hydrocarbon fuels and derived materials and chemicals that at the same time also safeguard our fragile environment. With my colleague and friend Surya Prakash and our colleagues in our Institute we developed the concept and much enabling new chemistry of what now is called “The Methanol Economy” which is gaining worldwide practical application. Pinpointing environmental and health hazards and then eliminating them are another part of our efforts. It is through finding new solutions and answers to global problems that we can work for a better future. In this regard chemistry can offer much. I find it extremely rewarding that my colleagues and I can increasingly contribute to these practical goals through our work. This also shows that there is no dichotomy between gaining new knowledge through basic research and finding practical uses for it. It is the most rewarding aspect of chemistry that in many ways it can not only contribute to our better understanding of the physical and biological world but also supplement nature by allowing man to produce through his own efforts essential solutions, products, and materials to allow future generations a better life while also protecting our environment.

2Perspectives on Science

I have spent my life in science pursuing the magic of chemistry. In attempting to give some perspectives and thoughts on science, it is first necessary to define what science really is. As with other frequently used (or misused) terms such as “God” or “democracy” that have widely differing meanings to different people at different times and places “science” does not seem to be readily and uniformly defined. Science, derived from the Latin “scientia,” originally meant general knowledge both of the physical and spiritual world. Through the ages, however, the meaning of science narrowed to the description and understanding (knowledge) of nature (i.e., the physical world). Science is thus a major intellectual effort of man, a search for knowledge of the physical world, the laws governing it, and its meaning. It also touches however on fundamental, ageless questions as to our existence, origin, purpose, intelligence, etc., and, through these, the limits of how far our understanding can reach. In many ways the scientists' intellectual efforts expressing their thoughts and quest for general knowledge and understanding are similar to other intellectual efforts in areas such as the humanities, arts, etc., although they are expressed in different ways.