| Citation | David Clary has established quantum collision theory as a practical tool for explaining a wide variety of detailed experimental results in chemical reaction dynamics. His general theories and computational methods enable reliable predictions to be made on the reactions, energy transfer and dissociation of polyatomic molecules in selected quantum states. Many of his predictions of novel effects in molecular collisions have been confirmed in subsequent experiments. Examples include the sharp negative temperature dependence of the rate constants for the reactions of ions with dipolar molecules, the surprisingly large rates of reactions involving some neutral molecules, the pronounced influence of particular ro-vibrational states on the predissociation of weakly bound complexes, unusual line intensity patterns in the spectra of Van der Waals molecules, and new mode and bond selectivities in the collisional excitation and reactions of polyatomic molecules. His work is also having important applications in understanding interstellar, combustion and atmospheric chemistry as the extreme temperatures of these environments can be hard to reproduce in the laboratory but are readily treated by his theoretical methods. |