Kenneth Pitzer

Kenneth S. Pitzer
Kenneth Sanborn Pitzer
3rd President of Rice University
In office
1961–1968
Preceded byWilliam Vermillion Houston
Succeeded byNorman Hackerman
6th President of Stanford University
In office
December 1, 1968[1] – June 25, 1970[2]
Preceded byWallace Sterling
Succeeded byRichard Wall Lyman
Personal details
Born(1914-01-06)January 6, 1914
Pomona, California, U.S.
DiedDecember 26, 1997(1997-12-26) (aged 83)
Berkeley, California, U.S.
ChildrenRussell M. Pitzer
Parent
Alma materCalifornia Institute of Technology (BS)
University of California, Berkeley (PhD)
AwardsACS Award in Pure Chemistry (1943)
Priestley Medal (1969)
National Medal of Science (1975)
American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal (1976)
Welch Award in Chemistry (1984)
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry
Institutions
ThesisTheoretical calculations and experimental determinations of entropies and related thermodynamic quantities (1937)
Doctoral advisorWendell Latimer
Doctoral studentsGeorge C. Pimentel
Oktay Sinanoğlu
Robert Curl
Raymond Sheline

Kenneth Sanborn Pitzer (January 6, 1914 – December 26, 1997) was an American physical and theoretical chemist, educator, and university president.[3] He was described as "one of the most influential physical chemists of his era" whose work "spanned almost all of the important fields of physical chemistry: thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, molecular structure, quantum mechanics, spectroscopy, chemical bonding, relativistic chemical effects, properties of concentrated aqueous salt solutions, kinetics, and conformational analysis."[4]

  1. ^ "3 Do-Overs from Stanford History". Stanford Magazine. July 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  2. ^ "President of Stanford Resigns After 2 Years of Disturbances". The New York Times. June 26, 1970. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  3. ^ Hughes, Sally Smith; Leberge, Germaine, eds. (1999). "Chemist and Administrator at UC Berkeley, Rice University, and Stanford University, and the Atomic Energy Commission, 1935-1997". Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
  4. ^ E. Connick, Robert E. Connick (December 2000). "Kenneth Pitzer, 6 January 1914 · 26 December 1997". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 14 (4): 479–483. JSTOR 1515624.