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RefNoEC/1982/17
Previous numbersCert XXI, 61
LevelItem
TitleHudson, Robert Francis: certificate of election to the Royal Society
Date1980
DescriptionCitation typed
CitationDistinguished for his contributions to physical organic chemistry and theory of reaction mechanisms. His early work on acylation established the duality of mechanisms and the participation of acylium ions in solvolysis. The then rapidly growing field of organophosphorus chemistry lacked a structural and mechanistic basis, and his pioneering research on phosphorylation concentrated on structure-reactivity relationships and stereochemistry. He reported the first optical resolution of phosphate esters, which were then used to determine the stereochemistry of substitution at the phosphorus atom of several compounds. Evidence for he SN1(P) mechanism, involving metaphosphate or an analogue, was presented at this time. Subsequently, a wide range of organophosphorus reactions were analysed mechanistically and the Hudson-Greenhalgh hypothesis, which related ring strain to reactivity. With G. Klopman, the polyelectronic perturbation theory was developed, giving rise to the now widely used concept of charge orbital control. More recently, one electron perturbation theory with the inclusion of overlap has been applied to several problems including lone-pair repulsions (e.g. the "alpha-effect"), inversion barriers at nitrogen and gas phase acidities. This approach is being developed further at the present time.
AccessStatusClosed
Fellows associated with this archive
CodePersonNameDates
NA4233Hudson; Robert Francis (1922 - 2012)1922 - 2012
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