Auburn University Honors Robert Crabtree for Contributions to Chemistry

Chemistry professor Robert Crabtree has won the 2010 Kosolapoff Award, presented by Auburn University to outstanding chemists and biochemists for landmark contributions in these fields.

“We at Auburn have long admired Professor Crabtree’s work and are delighted that he has accepted the 2010 Kosolapoff Award,” says Vince Ortiz, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the university.

Crabtree’s research encompasses both inorganic and organic chemistry, and focuses on the design and synthesis of inorganic molecules and the study of organometallic molecules (those containing both carbon and a metal) with unusual structures and properties. He is currently working on alternative energy problems, including using solar energy to create transportation fuel and developing better ways to store hydrogen.

The Kosolapoff Award is the highest award offered by the Auburn section of the American Chemical Society and is named for the late Gennady Kosolapoff, a former professor of chemistry at Auburn University and an internationally renowned expert on organophosphorus chemistry. Previous recipients include 10 Nobel Prize winners.

“I am delighted to be a recipient of the award,” says Crabtree. “The very high quality of the Yale graduate students is undoubtedly a major factor that accounts for the high impact of the work.”

Crabtree was presented with the award during a visit to Auburn from April 20 to 22, when he delivered the Kosolapoff Award Lecture.