John Christian Bailar Jr. (May 27, 1904 – October 17, 1991) was a professor of

inorganic chemistry Inorganic chemistry deals with chemical synthesis, synthesis and behavior of inorganic compound, inorganic and organometallic chemistry, organometallic compounds. This field covers chemical compounds that are not carbon-based, which are the subj ...

at the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

. He received his B.A. at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

and his Ph.D. at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. His father was a member of the chemistry staff of the

Colorado School of Mines The Colorado School of Mines (Mines) is a public research university in Golden, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1874, the school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on ener ...

. At the University of Illinois, he developed an active research program on

coordination chemistry A coordination complex is a chemical compound consisting of a central atom or ion, which is usually metallic and is called the ''coordination centre'', and a surrounding array of chemical bond, bound molecules or ions, that are in turn known as ' ...

. He is referred to as the “Father of Coordination Chemistry in the United States,” as prior to his time, this area of chemistry received little attention in the U.S. The Bailar twist in coordination compounds is named after him. He helped found the book series ''

Inorganic Syntheses ''Inorganic Syntheses'' is a book series which aims to publish "detailed and foolproof" procedures for the synthesis of inorganic compounds.Inorganic Chemistry Inorganic chemistry deals with chemical synthesis, synthesis and behavior of inorganic compound, inorganic and organometallic chemistry, organometallic compounds. This field covers chemical compounds that are not carbon-based, which are the subj ...

''. His work was widely recognized culminating in the award of the Priestley Medal from the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

, an organization of which he was also president.

Personal life

He and his wife, Florence (Catherwood) Bailar, had two sons, one of whom was John Christian Bailar III.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailar, John C. 20th-century American chemists 1904 births 1991 deaths University of Colorado Boulder alumni University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty Presidents of the American Chemical Society American inorganic chemists