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 Lawrence F. Dahl (pictured, center), Professor
Emeritus of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, along with
Ilia Guzei,
Director of the X-ray lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, join us to teach a
class in the Fall 2009 semester.
The short course "Modern Crystallography and Molecular Symmetry" will develop the
fundamental ideas of modern crystallography and molecular symmetry. The class will
begin by describing the symmetry of molecules leading up to the development of the
Schoenflies and Hermann-Maguin notations of molecular symmetry. The use of
crystallographic structural methods to determine molecular structure will then be
discussed. Hands-on work with computer-based software to solve structures will
be the lab component of the course. These concepts will then be applied to the
crystal structures of large clusters of palladium and platinum with metal carbonyl
ligands. Dates: Sept. 1 to Oct. 1, 2009. Short course deadlines apply.
2 credit option will include lab. Labs meet on Friday afternoon Sept. 18, Sept. 25, and
Oct. 2.
R.E. Rundle and Hilldale Professor of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Larry Dahl, born on 6/2/29, received his BSc degree (51) from the
University of Louisville and his PhD degree (56) from Iowa State
University under the late Robert E. Rundle. In 1957, Larry joined the
faculty at University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he has emerged as
one of the world's pioneers in the synthesis, structure, and bonding of
transition metal clusters. Honors include: Sloan (63), Guggenheim (69),
N.Y. Acad. Sci. (75), and AAAS (80) fellowships along with W. Hieber
(65), E.F. Smith (71), R. Nyholm (85), P.C. Reilly (87), H.W. Davis (89),
P. Chini (89), J.C. Bailar (90), K. Nakamoto (94), F. Basolo (95), R.A.
Welch (95), G. Stone (97), and H.B. Jonassen (98) lectureships. He was
included in the list of 1000 most cited scientists, lSI, 64-78. He was the
recipient of the ACS Award in Inorganic Chemistry (74), Senior U.S.
Scientist Humboldt Award (85), Honorary Doctoral Degree from Univ. of
Louisville (91), Willard Gibbs Medal (99), and Pioneer Award (Am.
Institute of Chemists, 2000). He was elected to the National Academy of
Sciences in 1988 and to the American Academy of Arts and Science in
1992. He has been the R.E. Rundle Professor of Chemistry at Wisconsin
since 1978 and a Hilldale Professor since 1991. In 1994 he received the
Hilldale Award in Physical Sciences at UW-Madison.
His group's research in the earlier years extensively involved systematic
studies of small-to-Iarge metal clusters whose geometries were governed
primarily by changes in valence electronic configuration (i.e.,
"experimental quantum mechanics"). His group's activities during the
last 15 years have focused mainly on nanosized metal carbonyl clusters
possessing Group 10 (Ni, Pd, Pt) and combined Group 10/Group 11 (Cu,
Ag, Au) elements; these include 16 distinctly different close-packed Pdn
clusters, the largest one possessing a capped three-shell Pd145 core-geometry,
and recently a structurally-related bimetallic Pd-Pt cluster
containing a pseudo-icosahedral Pt-centered four-shell 165 metal-atom
core.
Former group members consist of 95 PhD, 24 MS, and 45 undergraduate
students together with 15 postdoctoral fellows, 10 Visiting Professors,
and three Visiting Chinese Scholars. Current coworkers are Dr. Evgueni
Mednikov (Asst. Scientist) and one graduate student. Although Larry
formally retired last fall, he voluntarily taught first-semester General
Chemistry to ~350 students and this spring co-taught Chemical
Crystallography with Dr. Ilia Guzei to ~20 students.
Larry hopes to continue research on nanosized metal clusters for several
years.
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