Lipscomb, William Nunn, Jr. (1919-2011), an American inorganic chemist, made important studies on the structure and bonding mechanisms of boranes, complex compounds of boron and hydrogen. For this work, Lipscomb was awarded the 1976 Nobel Prize for chemistry.
During the 1950’s, Lipscomb determined the molecular structures of many boranes by a process known as X-ray diffraction analysis, which measures the changes in radiation intensity of X rays projected into a material. He wrote Boron Hydrides, an account of his early research into borane chemistry, in 1963. Much of his work since the early 1960’s focused on the spatial structure of enzymes and the ways in which structure affects their ability as catalysts (substances that influence the rate of chemical reactions). His book Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Studies of Boron and Related Compounds was published in 1969.
Lipscomb was born on Dec. 9, 1919, in Cleveland. He studied at the University of Kentucky and California Institute of Technology. He taught at the University of Minnesota and, in 1959, became professor of chemistry at Harvard University. Lipscomb died on April 14, 2011. He died on April 14, 2011.
