Tobin Jay Marks (born November 25, 1944) is an
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 ...
Professor, the
Vladimir N. Ipatieff Professor of
Catalytic Chemistry, Professor of
Material Science
A material is a substance or mixture of substances that constitutes an object. Materials can be pure or impure, living or non-living matter. Materials can be classified on the basis of their physical and chemical properties, or on their geol ...
and Engineering, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Professor of Applied Physics at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
in
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...
. Among the themes of his research are synthetic organo-
f-element and early-transition metal
organometallic chemistry
Organometallic chemistry is the study of organometallic compounds, chemical compounds containing at least one chemical bond between a carbon atom of an organic molecule and a metal, including alkali, alkaline earth, and transition metals, and so ...
,
polymer chemistry
Polymer chemistry is a sub-discipline of chemistry that focuses on the structures, chemical synthesis, and chemical and physical properties of polymers and macromolecules. The principles and methods used within polymer chemistry are also applic ...
,
materials chemistry
Materials science is an interdisciplinary field of researching and discovering materials. Materials engineering is an engineering field of finding uses for materials in other fields and industries.
The intellectual origins of materials scien ...
,
homogeneous
Homogeneity and heterogeneity are concepts relating to the uniformity of a substance, process or image. A homogeneous feature is uniform in composition or character (i.e., color, shape, size, weight, height, distribution, texture, language, i ...
and
heterogeneous catalysis
Heterogeneous catalysis is catalysis where the Phase (matter), phase of catalysts differs from that of the reagents or product (chemistry), products. The process contrasts with homogeneous catalysis where the reagents, products and catalyst exis ...
, molecule-based
photonic materials,
superconductivity
Superconductivity is a set of physical properties observed in superconductors: materials where Electrical resistance and conductance, electrical resistance vanishes and Magnetic field, magnetic fields are expelled from the material. Unlike an ord ...
, metal-organic
chemical vapor deposition
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a vacuum deposition method used to produce high-quality, and high-performance, solid materials. The process is often used in the semiconductor industry to produce thin films.
In typical CVD, the wafer (electro ...
, and biological aspects of transition metal chemistry.
Marks received his
B.S. from the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
in 1966 in chemistry, and his
Ph.D. from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
in 1971 under the direction of
F. A. Cotton. He came to Northwestern University in the fall of 1970.
The Marks Group
Historically the Marks group has been organized into four teams (A-D), reflecting the historical strengths and the needs of emerging technologies:
* A-team; Organometallics/Catalysis
* B-team: Molecular Photonics
* C-team: Transparent Oxides
* D-team: Molecular Electronics
Marks is known for his ability to tie his efforts to practical problems. Work in organometallics/catalysis (A-team) has traditionally focused on two main areas: Group IV mediated polymerizations and f-element mediated
hydroelementation. His extensive work in polymerization catalysts and determination of mechanistic traits that allow for optimization, have made these materials and processes industrially relevant.
Awards
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* from the
Technion in Israel
*
References
External links
Marks group websiteList of publications
at isiknowledge.com
C&E News Article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marks, Tobin J.
21st-century American chemists
1944 births
Living people
Northwestern University faculty
National Medal of Science laureates
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering
University of Maryland, College Park alumni
Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni