Ian P. Rothwell 1955–2004

Plate1 Ian P. Rothwell

Ian Rothwell was greatly valued as the ChemComm North American Associate Editor for Inorganic, Organometallic and Materials Chemistry and as a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal. Ian joined the ChemComm Editorial Board in 2001 and made a huge contribution by running a highly organised and efficient office in a fair and helpful way which earned him the respect of ChemComm colleagues, authors and reviewers. He contributed ideas to the development of the journal and his gentle demeanour, wisdom and informed comment, friendship and support will be greatly missed by his fellow members of the Editorial Boards and the Cambridge Editorial team. We send our sincere sympathy to his family and friends.

Roeland J M Nolte, Chairman 2004

Andrew B Holmes, Chairman 2000–2003

Sarah Thomas, Managing Editor

 

Ian Rothwell was an immensely valuable contributor as an Associate Editor to the success of ChemComm. His untimely death leaves us in deep sorrow. His wisdom, impartiality, and good judgment earned the respect of all who worked with him as well as those who knew him personally. He will be greatly missed.

Jerry L Atwood, Associate Editor, Supramolecular Chemistry

Barbara Imperiali, Associate Editor, Chemical Biology

James D White, Associate Editor, Organic Chemistry

 

Ian P. Rothwell was born in Manchester, UK on January 21, 1955, and attended Marple Grammar School prior to attending University College London where he studied chemistry. He received his BSc with first class honours in 1976, and his PhD in 1979 under the direction of Professor A. J. Deeming. As an undergraduate, he received the C. K. Ingold Prize in 1974 and 1975, and as a postgraduate, the Tuffnell Scholarship, 1976, 1978. Following the completion of his PhD, he spent two years at Indiana University as a Postdoctoral Fellow with Professor M. H. Chisholm and Visiting Assistant Professor before joining the faculty at Purdue University in the Department of Chemistry in 1981.

At Purdue University, Rothwell established his independent career in chemistry in the area of early transition metal organometallic chemistry. He pioneered the use of bulky aryl oxide ligands as ancillaries in organometallic reaction chemistry and delineated a number of remarkable thermal and photochemical carbon–hydrogen activation processes. He developed and patented niobium and tantalum hydride aryloxide complexes for the hydrogenation of arylphosphines. He also developed a class of aryloxide ligands that were resistant to intramolecular cyclometallation. He is author of over 200 scientific publications and coauthor of the book “Metal Alkoxides” with D. C. Bradley and R. C. Mehrotra. He received several awards for his pioneering chemistry including the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, 1986–1988, an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, 1987–1989, the Fresenius Award administered by Phi Lambda Upsilon in 1987, the Corday–Morgan Medal and Prize of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 1990, and in 2001, was a Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science Scholar.

At Purdue University, he was greatly appreciated as a teacher and for his generous and effective service to the academic community. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1986, and Full Professor in 1989. In 1995, he received the Arthur E. Kelly Teaching Award of Purdue University, and in 2002, he was appointed Richard B. Moore Distinguished Professor of Chemistry. He was head of the inorganic sector 1998–2001 and Head of Purdue's Chemistry Department from 2001 until his death. As Department Head, he was greatly respected for his leadership and visionary qualities and his tireless support of the several junior faculty which he recruited.

Rothwell was an active member in the chemistry community at large, and was a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Chemical Society. He was Chair of the Organometallic Subdivision of the Division of Inorganic Chemistry in 2003, served on the editorial boards of the journals Organometallics from 1994–1997, and served as an Associate Editor for ChemComm from 2001.

Rothwell was an avid reader, particularly of history and the development of science. He enjoyed golf, bridge, fishing and followed cricket and football. He was a skilled carpenter and many fine pieces of his furniture adorn the family home.

On July 7, 1980, he married Arlene P. Schwab in Bloomington, IN, a chemistry graduate of University College London. He is survived by his wife, Arlene, his son Colin Rothwell, and daughter, Julia Rothwell. He is remembered by all who knew him for his kindness and generosity, his efficient and effective work in the chemistry community and for the support he gave to his students and colleagues.

Malcolm Chisholm

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