Dragonetti, Claudia

Roberto, Dominique

English

AIR Universita degli studi di Milano

Preface for the special issue “New trends in inorganic chemistry: A special issue in honor of professor Howard Alper” Claudia Dragonetti and Dominique Roberto Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via C. Golgi, 19, 20133 Milano, Italy   Howard Alper, born in Montréal (Québec, Canada) on October 17th 1941, is a prestigious Chemist and a Distinguished University Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences of the University of Ottawa.  He received a B.Sc. from Sir George Williams University in 1963 and a Ph.D. from McGill University in 1967. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the Princeton University, he started teaching at the State University of New York (assistant Professor, 1968-71; associate Professor, 1971-74) and then he joined the University of Ottawa (associate Professor, 1975-78; Professor, 1978-2006), Distinguished University Professor, from 2006). Chairman of Chemistry Department (1982-85 and 1988-94), he was the vice-president (Research) of the University of Ottawa from 1997 to 2006. In 2015, Professor Alper was awarded an honorary Ph.D. by the University of Pretoria.  The basic research he has been pursuing spans organic and biological chemistry, inorganic and organometallic chemistry, catalysis, and asymmetric synthesis, with applications in the pharmaceutical, petrochemical, and commodity chemical industries. He has discovered novel reactions using homogeneous, phase transfer, and heterogeneous catalysis (for example, clays, dendrimers, magnetic nanoparticles). He played a pioneering role in the application of phase transfer catalysis to metal catalyzed organic reactions. Besides, by using chiral ligands in metal catalyzed cycloaddition and carbonylation reactions, he succeeded in preparing valuable products in pharmacologically active form. He studied ring-expansion carbonylation reactions, hydroformylation, as well as stereospecific and highly enantioselective cycloaddition reactions of heterocumulenes. One example of his superb achievements is the expansion of highly strained rings, such as azirines, to produce in a regio-, stereo- and enantiospecific manner some -lactam structures, of great interest for lactamic antibiotics. He also created novel highly chemoselective aminocarbonylation and alkoxycarbonylation processes of importance in drug and natural product synthesis (for example, avenanthramide A). He explored the activity and recyclability of dendrimer-metal compounds as catalysts, including biomimetic based systems, and the use of ionic liquids for recyclable transition metal catalysis. An example of his attitude to be always involved in the advanced innovative and environmental friendly research, is the use of dendrimer-rhodium complexes or of rhodium species linked to water soluble polymers for the hydroformylation reaction, in search of increasing the selectivity of the reaction and getting the complete recyclability of the rhodium catalyst. His contribution to modern synthetic methods is outstanding: regiospecific oxidation, reduction and carbonylation reactions can be now carried out under exceptionally mild conditions and with a great control of environmental problems. His research is realy impressive, being the mixage of a top quality approach with the continuous interest to solve real problems, in particular safety and environmental problems. As Professor Renato Ugo used to say, this aptitude of Howard Alper is a great example of the social interest of the scientist. He has published ca 550 papers, in the most relevant international journals with very high impact factor, has 37 patents, and has edited several books. In recognition of his superb scientific achievements, Howard Alper was invited to give an incredible number of lecture series, plenary and invited lectures in the most important international conferences, and organized many of them. He is a recognized prestigious chemist invited throughout the world. For example, he is so much known and considered in the circle of italian organometallic, organic and inorganic chemists, either in academy or in industry, that a special symposium was organized in his honor at the University of Milan on the occasion of his 60th birthday. He has received a number of prestigious Awards, Honors and Fellowships: Merit Award of the Society of Chemical Industry (1963); National Research Council of Canada Fellowships (1965-1967); NATO Fellowship (1967-1968); E.W.R. Steacie Award (1980-82); Alcan Award (1980); The Chemical Institute of Canada Catalysis Award (1984); Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (1984); John Simon Guggenheim Fellow (1985-86); Killam Research Fellow (1986-88); Alcan Award for Inorganic Chemistry (1986), Alfred Bader Award in Organic Chemistry (1990); Award for Excellence in Research (University of Ottawa, 1991); Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canada - for significant contributions to Canada (1992); E.W.R. Steacie Award for Distinguished Contributions to Chemistry (1993); Urgel-Archambault Prize in Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering (1996); Titular member of The European Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Humanities (1996); Chemical Institute of Canada Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Chemistry or Chemical Engineering (1997); Bell Canada Corporate - Higher Education Forum Award for outstanding contributions to collaborative industry - university research and development (1998); Outstanding People of the Twentieth Century (IBC, 1999); NSERC Excellence in Research Award (2000); Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering (2000, the most prestigious award for science and engineering in Canada), National Merit Award for contributions to the Life Sciences (2001), the Montreal Medal (2003), Le Sueur Memorial Award of the Society of Chemical Industry (U.K., 2002).  He was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1999, and, in 2001, was named President of the Royal Society of Canada; he was the Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society of Canada during 2004-2010. In 2002, he received the award of Officer, National Order of Merit, by the President of the Republic of France. In 2004, he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Chemical Research Society of India; in 2006, an Honorary Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada. In 2012, he received the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal, and, in March 2013, was made an Honorary Foreign Member of the Chemical Society of Japan (CSJ), the first Canadian ever to be so honoured by the CSJ since its establishment in 1878. In 2014, he received the award of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic by President Napolitano. In 2020, he was recognized as an American Chemical Society Catalysis Pioneer. An honorary member of numerous research societies and academies, Howard Alper has also served as Chair of many important national and international Boards and Committees including, amongst others, the Partnership Group for Science and Engineering, whose member societies address issues concerning research and applications of science in Canada and define their economic benefits, and the Canadian Research Knowledge Network. Member of TWAS - the World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (elected in 2003), Co-Chair of the InterAmerican Network of Academies of Science (2004, 3-year term). During 2006-2013, he was Co-Chair of the Inter-Academy Partnership (IAP: The Global Network of Science Academies; under the umbrella of IAP, some 150 national, regional and global member academies over 100 countries work together to support the vital role of science in seeking evidence-based solutions to the world’s most challenging problems). In the years 2007-2015, he was Chair of the Government of Canada’s Science, Technology and Innovation Council where he spearheaded the global acknowledgement of excellence in canadian research, providing advice to Cabinet and the Prime Minister on science, technology and innovation issues. As expert advisor in science policy and research, he has shaped international policies for numerous foreign governments. Chair of the Canvassing Committee for the initiative, by the Governor General of Canada, to enhance global recognition for canadian research excellence. In 2022, Howard Alper was designated as “Companion of the Order of Canada”, the highest award presented to a Canadian citizen, « for his significant contributions to organometallic chemistry, and for his internationally recognized leadership in science research and policy ». It is important to point out that Howard Alper was also an exceptional professor, explaining new concepts and principles to students, by encouraging them to come forward with innovative solutions, addressing questions of fundamental significance. Despite his commitments, he always found time to discuss the chemistry going on in his laboratory. Each year, he used to invite all his international research group at his home, the beautiful moments spent with his wife Anne and their daughters, Ruth and Lara, are unforgettable for all his undergraduates and doctoral students as well as post-doctoral fellows. Many of them have become professors, entrepreneurs, responsible for public and industrial research all over the world. A few could participate in this Special Issue of Inorganica Chimica Acta: "New Trends in Inorganic Chemistry: a Special Issue in Honor of Professor Howard Alper", which is organized into 4 reviews and 13 research papers.   We thank all the authors for their participation to this Special Issue which reflects the international character of Howard Alper’s students and friends.  The Guest Editors         Claudia Dragonetti, Dominique Roberto         Dipartimento di Chimica          Università degli Studi di Milano              Prof. Howard Alper   Prof. Claudia Dragonetti    Prof. Dominique Roberto 

Preface for the special issue “New trends in inorganic chemistry: A special issue in honor of professor Howard Alper”

https://air.unimi.it/bitstream/2434/1051231/2/Alper.pdf

Preface for the special issue “New trends in inorganic chemistry: A special issue in honor of professor Howard Alper”

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