Malcolm H. Chisholm


Malcolm Harold Chisholm was a British inorganic chemist who worked mainly in North America, a Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Distinguished University Professor of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at Ohio State University who contributed to the synthesis and structural chemistry of transition metal complexes.

Early life and education

Malcolm Harold Chisholm was born on 15 October 1945 in Bombay, British India, where his parents were based. Six months after his birth, Chisholm's family moved back to the United Kingdom to the family's home in Inverness. At the age of 3, his family then moved to southern England where he obtained his early education. He later went to Queen Mary College and received a BSc in 1966 and a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry in 1969 whilst working under the direction of Donald C. Bradley. As an undergraduate, Chisholm perform research on Fe29 under the direction of Alan G. Massey.

Career

[image:W2(OC(CH3)3)6.svg|thumb|left|W2(O-t-Bu)6was first prepared by Chisholm and Extine.]
After receiving his PhD, Chisholm went to the University of Western Ontario to work as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Howard Charles Clark from 1969 to 1972.
He held faculty positions at Princeton University, Indiana University, and Ohio State University. He achieved recognition for developing the chemistry of alkoxy- and amido-supported complexes of dimolybdenum and ditungsten, illustrated by Mo26.

Recognition

Chisholm received several awards and honors, among them:
He was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society in 1990, a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2005, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 2005 and a member of the Leopoldina in 2004.