Rowland Pettit (February 6, 1927 – December 10, 1981) was an Australian-born American

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

.Encyclopedia of Australian Science:Pettit, Rowland
/ref> He was awarded an overseas scholarship from the Royal Commission 1851 from 1952 - 1954. He came to London to Queen Mary College to conduct research into "the molecular orbital theory of organic chemistry and its application".
/ref> ttp://www.utexas.edu/faculty/council/2000-2001/memorials/SCANNED/pettit.pdf University of Texas:In Memoriam:Rowland Petti/ref> Pettit was noted for preparation of

Cyclobutadieneiron tricarbonyl Cyclobutadieneiron tricarbonyl is an organoiron compound with the formula Fe(C4H4)(CO)3. It is a yellow oil that is soluble in organic solvents. It has been used in organic chemistry as a precursor for cyclobutadiene, which is an elusive species i ...

and the related trimethylenemethane complex. Pettit was head of the Department of Chemistry and W. T. Doherty Professor in Chemistry at the

University of Texas, Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 20 ...

, a member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

, a member of 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 ...

, a member of the

Chemical Society of London The Chemical Society was a scientific society formed in 1841 (then named the Chemical Society of London) by 77 scientists as a result of increased interest in scientific matters. Chemist Robert Warington was the driving force behind its creation. ...

, a recipient of the American Chemical Society's the Southwest Regional Award, a member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

. The

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

said that Pettit was an "internationally recognized organic chemist". Cyclobutadiene-iron-tricarbonyl-from-xtal-3D-balls

Chronology

* 1927 born in Port Lincoln, Australia * 1949 B.Sc,

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

* 1950 M.Sc,

* 1953 PhD in chemistry,

* 1954 2nd PhD,

Queen Mary College Queen Mary University of London (QMUL, or informally QM, and formerly Queen Mary and Westfield College) is a public research university in Mile End, East London, England. It is a member institution of the federal University of London. Today, ...

in London * 1957 assistant professor, the

* 1960 associate professor, the

* 1963 professor of chemistry, the

* 1968 Southwest Regional Award, the

* 1970-1974 Chairman of Department of Chemistry, the

* 1973 elected to the

* 1980 advanced to W. T. Doherty Professor in Chemistry, the

* 1981 dies in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

Scholarship

Some of his work has been summarized with a focus on his synthesis of

References

External links

John C. Gilbert, "Rowland Pettit", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences (1995)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pettit, Rowland 1927 births 1981 deaths 20th-century American chemists University of Texas at Austin faculty University of Adelaide alumni Alumni of Queen Mary University of London Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Australian emigrants to the United States