| Citation | Dr. Allan Hay has been Manager of the Chemical Laboratory since 1968. He is distinguished for his invention of one of the very few new polymerization reactions discovered in the past twenty years - polymerization by oxidative coupling. High polymers are produced by the copper-catalysed air oxidation of phenols, amines, thiols or ketones. Both the reaction and the mechanism by which it proceeds were new. The discovery stemmed from some of his basic ideas for the direct oxidation of organic compounds and the research team he led went on to study the mechanism of oxidation. This contribution places him in the front rank of polymer chemists. He went on to develop a major high performance plastic (one of only 5 in production in reasonably large quantities) - polyphenyl oxide (PPO) which is poly (2, 6-dimethyl-1,4 phenylene oxide). In fact, two other polymers in this class have reached the pilot plant stage as a result of the work of his team. Commercially, PPO blended with polystyrene has become the basis of General Electric's Noryl thermoplastic resins. Dr. Hay has studied liquid phase oxidation more broadly, in particular devising new processes for the phthalic acids. He has also contributed to organometallic chemistry and synthesis of organic compounds. He has published 41 papers and has filed 45 patents. In addition to his research activities he directs 80 scientists and chemical engineers engaged in polymer chemistry, organic chemistry and chemical engineering activities. |