Helen Murray Free Endowed Public Lecture

Gregory Robinson, PhD

Foundation Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, University of Georgia

Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Sciences, Room 060

Public Lecture:

From Hydrogen to Radon: Playing the ‘Long Game’ in Inorganic Chemistry

From the syntheses of the first molecules containing boron-boron double bonds—the first “diborenes”—to the first molecule shown to possess a triple bond between two main group metals—the first “gallyne”—a digallium analog of acetylene, the Robinson Laboratory has made noteworthy contributions to Inorganic Chemistry. Consequently, in addressing foundational issues of structure and bonding, fascinating new areas of chemistry have emerged from the Robinson laboratory such as metalloaromaticity (the realization that properly constrained metallic ring systems can display traditional aromatic properties, thereby mimicking the chemical behavior of benzene), multiple-bonding involving heavier main group elements, stabilization of silicon dioxide-based precursors to “molecular sand”, dithiolene-based aluminum tri-radicals. These discoveries will be summarized and placed in historical context. As history can attest, “change” is frequently disruptive.

Learn more about Professor Robinson: https://www.gregoryhrobinson.com/

Reception, sponsored by the Wooster Local Section of the American Chemical Society, follows the lecture.

Selected Awards:

• American Academy of Arts and Sciences (elected in 2025)
• National Academy of Sciences (elected 2021)
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2017)
• F. Albert Cotton Award in Synthetic Inorganic Chemistry by the American Chemical Society (2013)
• Humboldt Research Prize (2012)
• Lamar Dodd Creative Research Award—the highest research award of The University of Georgia (2010)
• Southern Chemist Award (1998)