George C. Pimentel

George Claude Pimentel (May 2, 1922 – June 18, 1989) was the inventor of the chemical laser. He also developed the modern technique of matrix isolation in low-temperature chemistry. In theoretical chemistry, he proposed the three-center four-electron bond which is now accepted as the best simple model of hypervalent molecules.

An alumnus of University of California, Los Angeles (B.S. 1943) and University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D. 1949), Pimentel began teaching at Berkeley in 1949, where he remained until his death in 1989. Upon the progress of chemistry at UCLA, he remarked : “... the future of the department rests on young people.”

Honours and awards

The George C. Pimentel Award in Chemical Education was named in his honour, as well as the main chemistry lecture hall at Berkeley, 1 Pimentel Hall.

• Wolf Prize in Chemistry (1982)
• Peter Debye Award (1983)
• National Medal of Science (1985)
• Franklin Medal (1985)
• Welch Award (1986)
• American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal (1988)
• Priestley Medal (1989)

External links

• "George C. Pimentel Award in Chemical Education". American Chemical Society. 2007. Retrieved 2008-09-17. 
• Jeanne Pimentel (2003). "George C. Pimentel Website". Retrieved 2007-11-19. 
• Ann Thayer. "The Priestley Medal - 1989: George C. Pimentel (1922-1989) Chemical & Engineering News, April 7, 2008". Retrieved 2008-09-17. 
• C.Bradley Moore (2007). "George Claude Pimentel 1922-89 A Biographical Memoir" (PDF). National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2008-09-17. 
• Guide to the George C. Pimentel Papers at The Bancroft Library