Robert Curl

Born in Alice, Texas, United States, Curl was the son of a Methodist minister.{{cite book|last1=Carey|first1=Charles W. Jr.|title=American scientists|date=2006|publisher=Facts on File|location=New York, NY|isbn=9780816054992|pages=79–80|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=00r9waSNv1cC&pg=PA79|access-date=19 July 2016}} Due to his father's missionary work, his family moved several times within southern and southwestern Texas, and the elder Curl was involved in starting the San Antonio Medical Center's Methodist Hospital.{{Cite book|title = Notable Scientists from 1900 to the Present|last = Proffitt|first = Pamela|publisher = The Gale Group|date = 2001|isbn = 978-0787617523|location = Farmington Hills, MI|pages = [https://archive.org/details/notablescientist0005unse/page/503 503–4]|editor-last = Narins|editor-first = Brigham|chapter = Robert Floyd Curl Jr.|chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/notablescientist0005unse/page/503}}{{Cite web|url = https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1996/curl-bio.html|title = Robert F. Curl Jr. – Biographical|date = 1996|access-date = 12 July 2014|website = Nobelprize.org|publisher = Nobel Media AB }} Curl attributes his interest in chemistry to a chemistry set he received as a nine-year-old, recalling that he ruined the finish on his mother's porcelain stove when nitric acid boiled over onto it. He is a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, Texas.{{Cite web|url = http://www.tjhsalumni.org/mustangspotlight/1365546|title = TJHS Alumni: Dr. Robert Floyd Curl Jr. '50|date = 5 August 2013|access-date = 12 July 2014|publisher = Thomas Jefferson High School Alumni Association }} His high school offered only one year of chemistry instruction, but in his senior year his chemistry teacher gave him special projects to work on.

Curl received a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry from Rice Institute (now Rice University) in 1954. He was attracted to the reputation of both the school's academics and football team, and the fact that at the time it charged no tuition. He earned his doctorate in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1957.[http://www.nndb.com/people/798/000100498/ Robert F. Curl, Jr] At Berkeley, he worked in the laboratory of Kenneth Pitzer, then dean of the college of chemistry, with whom he would become a lifelong collaborator. Curl's graduate research involved performing infrared spectroscopy to determine the bond angle of disiloxane.

Curl was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University with E. B. Wilson, where he used microwave spectroscopy to study the bond rotation barriers of molecules. After that, he joined the faculty of Rice University in 1958. He inherited the equipment and graduate students of George Bird, a professor who was leaving for a job at Polaroid. Curl's early research involved the microwave spectroscopy of chlorine dioxide. His research program included both experiment and theory, mainly focused on detection and analysis of free radicals using microwave spectroscopy and tunable lasers. He used these observations to develop the theory of their fine structure and hyperfine structure, as well as information about their structure and the kinetics of their reactions.{{Cite web|url = http://chemistry.rice.edu/FacultyDetail.aspx?RiceID=589|title = Robert F. Curl: University Professor Emeritus, Pitzer-Schlumberger Professor of Natural Sciences Emeritus, Professor of Chemistry Emeritus|access-date = 12 July 2014|publisher = Rice University Department of Chemistry }}

Curl's research at Rice involved the fields of infrared and microwave spectroscopy. Curl's research inspired Richard Smalley to come to Rice in 1976 with the intention of collaborating with Curl.{{cite web|title=Richard E. Smalley, Robert F. Curl, Jr., and Harold W. Kroto|url=https://www.sciencehistory.org/historical-profile/richard-smalley-robert-curl-harold-kroto|website=Science History Institute |access-date=21 March 2018|date=June 2016}} In 1985, Curl was contacted by Harold Kroto, who wanted to use a laser beam apparatus built by Smalley to simulate and study the formation of carbon chains in red giant stars. Smalley and Curl had previously used this apparatus to study semiconductors such as silicon and germanium. They were initially reluctant to interrupt their experiments on these semiconductor materials to use their apparatus for Kroto's experiments on carbon, but eventually gave in.

They indeed found the long carbon chains they were looking for, but also found an unexpected product that had 60 carbon atoms. Over the course of 11 days, the team studied and determined its structure and named it buckminsterfullerene after noting its similarity to the geodesic domes for which the architect Buckminster Fuller was known.{{Cite journal|title = Robert F. Curl Jr—Nobel Laureate in Chemistry|last1 = Shampo|first1 = Marc A.|date = August 2010|journal = Mayo Clinic Proceedings|doi = 10.4065/mcp.2010.0448|last2 = Kyle|first2 = Robert A.|first3 = David P.|last3 = David P.|pmc=2912751|pmid=20704028|volume=85|issue = 8|pages=e58}} This discovery was based solely on the single prominent peak on the mass spectrograph, implying a chemically inert substance that was geometrically closed with no dangling bonds.{{Cite journal|title = Dawn of the fullerenes: experiment and conjecture|last = Curl|first = Robert F.|date = July 1997|journal = Reviews of Modern Physics|doi = 10.1103/RevModPhys.69.691|bibcode=1997RvMP...69..691C|volume=69|issue = 3|pages=691–702}} Curl was responsible for determining the optimal conditions of the carbon vapor in the apparatus, and examining the spectrograph. Curl noted that James R. Heath and Sean C. O'Brien deserve equal recognition in the work to Smalley and Kroto. The existence of this type of molecule had earlier been theorized by others, but Curl and his colleagues were at the time unaware of this. Later experiments confirmed their proposed structure, and the team moved on to synthesize endohedral fullerenes that had a metal atom inside the hollow carbon shell.{{cite web|title=Robert F. Curl Jr. – Biographical|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1996/curl-bio.html|website=Nobelprize.org|access-date=19 July 2016}}{{cite journal|last1=Kroto|first1=H. W.|last2=Heath|first2=J. R.|last3=O'Brien|first3=S. C.|last4=Curl|first4=R. F.|last5=Smalley|first5=R. E.|title=C60: Buckminsterfullerene|journal=Nature|date=14 November 1985|volume=318|issue=6042|pages=162–163|doi=10.1038/318162a0|bibcode=1985Natur.318..162K|s2cid=4314237}}{{cite journal|last1=Heath|first1=J. R.|last2=O'Brien|first2=S. C.|last3=Zhang|first3=Q.|last4=Liu|first4=Y.|last5=Curl|first5=R. F.|last6=Tittel|first6=F. K.|last7=Smalley|first7=R. E.|title=Lanthanum complexes of spheroidal carbon shells|journal=Journal of the American Chemical Society|date=December 1985|volume=107|issue=25|pages=7779–7780|doi=10.1021/ja00311a102}}{{cite journal|last1=Zhang|first1=Q. L.|last2=O'Brien|first2=S. C.|last3=Heath|first3=J. R.|last4=Liu|first4=Y.|last5=Curl|first5=R. F.|last6=Kroto|first6=H. W.|last7=Smalley|first7=R. E.|title=Reactivity of large carbon clusters: spheroidal carbon shells and their possible relevance to the formation and morphology of soot|journal=The Journal of Physical Chemistry|date=February 1986|volume=90|issue=4|pages=525–528|doi=10.1021/j100276a001}} The fullerenes, a class of molecules of which buckminsterfullerene was the first member discovered, are now considered to have potential applications in nanomaterials and molecular scale electronics. Robert Curl's 1985 paper entitled "C60: Buckminsterfullerine", published with colleagues H. Kroto, J. R. Heath, S. C. O’Brien, and R. E. Smalley, was honored by a Citation for Chemical Breakthrough Award from the Division of History of Chemistry of the American Chemical Society, presented to Rice University in 2015. The discovery of fullerenes was recognized in 2010 by the designation of a National Historic Chemical Landmark by the American Chemical Society at the Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

After winning the Nobel Prize in 1996, Curl took a quieter path than Smalley, who became an outspoken advocate of nanotechnology, and Kroto, who used his fame to further his interest in science education, saying, "After winning a Nobel, you can either become a scientific pontificator, or you can have some idea for a new science project and you can use your newfound notoriety to get the resources to do it. Or you can say, 'Well, I enjoy what I was doing, and I want to keep doing that.'" True to that humility, when asked by the President of Rice what he would like, following the Nobel announcement, he asked that a bike rack be installed closer to his office and laboratory.[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-022-01195-0 Robert F. Curl (1933–2022)], Nature, 17 Aug 2022

Curl's later research interests involved physical chemistry, developing DNA genotyping and sequencing instrumentation, and creating photoacoustic sensors for trace gases using quantum cascade lasers.{{cite encyclopedia|url = http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/146968/Robert-F-Curl-Jr|title = Robert F. Curl Jr.|access-date = 12 July 2013|encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica }} He is known in the residential college life at Rice University for being the first master of Lovett College.{{Cite web|url = http://bakerinstitute.org/experts/robert-curl/|title = Robert Curl|date = 2013-06-28|access-date = 12 July 2014|publisher = Rice University Baker Institute for Public Policy }}

Curl retired in 2008 at the age of 74,{{Cite web|url = http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Legendary-Rice-professor-Robert-Curl-retiring-1665527.php|title = Legendary Rice professor Robert Curl retiring|date = 29 June 2008|access-date = 12 July 2014|website = Chron|last = Berger|first = Eric}} becoming a University Professor Emeritus, Pitzer-Schlumberger Professor of Natural Sciences Emeritus, and Professor of Chemistry Emeritus at Rice University.

Curl married Jonel Whipple in 1955, with whom he had two children. He cycled to his office and lab and every week played bridge with the Rice Bridge Brigade. Curl died in Houston on July 3, 2022, at the age of 88.{{cite news |author=Jade Boyd |date=July 4, 2022 |title=Nobel laureate, beloved Rice professor Robert Curl dead at 88 |url=https://news.rice.edu/news/2022/nobel-laureate-beloved-rice-professor-robert-curl-dead-88 |access-date=July 5, 2022 |work=Rice University}}{{cite magazine|last1=Durrani |first1=Jamie |title=Chemistry Nobel laureate Robert Curl dies at 88 |url=https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/chemistry-nobel-laureate-robert-curl-dies-at-88/4015908.article |magazine=Chemistry World |access-date=26 July 2022 |language=en |date=5 July 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Murphy |first1=Brian |title=Robert Curl, Nobel-winning chemist in 'buckyball' discovery, dies at 88 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/07/06/robert-curl-dies-buckyball-chemistry/ |access-date=26 July 2022 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=6 July 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Chang |first1=Kenneth |title=Robert F. Curl Jr., Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry, Dies at 88 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/20/science/robert-f-curl-jr-dead.html |access-date=26 July 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=20 July 2022}}

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• Clayton Prize, Institute of Mechanical Engineers, 1957{{cite book|last1=Hargittai|first1=István|last2=Hargittai|first2=Magdolna|title=Candid science|date=2000|publisher=Imperial College Press|location=London|isbn=978-1860941511|pages=375–388|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K_u3CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA375|access-date=18 July 2016}}
• Alexander von Humboldt Senior US Scientist Award, University of Bonn, Germany, 1984
• Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, 1997{{cite journal|last1=Unrau|first1=Lia|title=Rice University Professor Curl Elected to National Academy of Sciences|journal=Rice University News and Media|date=May 5, 1997|url=http://news.rice.edu/1997/05/05/rice-university-professor-curl-elected-to-national-academy-of-sciences/|access-date=19 July 2016}}
• Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement, 1997{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=American Academy of Achievement|url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#science-exploration}}
• Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1998{{cite web|title=American Academy of Arts & Sciences|url=http://oir.rice.edu/Factbook/Faculty_and_Staff/Achievements/American_Academy_of_Arts___Sciences/|website=Rice University|access-date=19 July 2016}}
• International Prize for New Materials, American Physical Society, 1992
• Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, 1996
• Johannes Marcus Marci Award in Spectroscopy, 1998
• Centenary Medal, Royal Society of Chemistry, 1999
• Honorary Fellow, The Royal Society of New Zealand, 2001{{cite web|title=Prof. Dr. Robert Floyd Curl|url=http://www.mediatheque.lindau-nobel.org/laureates/curl-jr|website=Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings|access-date=19 July 2016}}
• University of Bochum Research Prize, 2004{{cite web|title=Guide to the Rice University Nobel Prize records, 1978–2006, bulk 1996 UA 123|url=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/ricewrc/00248/rice-00248.html|website=Rice University|access-date=19 July 2016 |url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080115192102/http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/ricewrc/00248/rice-00248.html | archive-date=January 15, 2008}}
• National Historic Chemical Landmark, American Chemical Society, 2010{{cite web|title=Discovery of Fullerenes National Historic Chemical Landmark|url=https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/fullerenes.html|website=American Chemical Society|access-date=18 July 2016}}
• Citation for Chemical Breakthrough Award, Division of History of Chemistry, American Chemical Society, 2015{{cite web|title= 2015 Awardees|url=http://www.scs.illinois.edu/~mainzv/HIST/awards/CCB-2015_Awardees.php|website=American Chemical Society, Division of the History of Chemistry|publisher=University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Chemical Sciences|date=2015|access-date=1 July 2016}}{{cite web|title=Citation for Chemical Breakthrough Award|url=http://www.scs.illinois.edu/~mainzv/HIST/awards/Citations/2015-Kroto%20plaque.pdf|website=American Chemical Society, Division of the History of Chemistry|publisher=University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Chemical Sciences|date=2015|access-date=1 July 2016}}
• Fellow of the Optical Society of America

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Journal articles:

• {{Cite journal|last1=Curl|first1=Robert|title=Dawn of the fullerenes: experiment and conjecture|journal=Reviews of Modern Physics|volume=69|issue=3|pages=691–702|date=1997|doi=10.1103/RevModPhys.69.691|bibcode=1997RvMP...69..691C}}

Technical reports:

• Curl, R. F. and G. P. Glass. "[https://www.osti.gov/biblio/82413-infrared-absorption-spectroscopy-chemical-kinetics-free-radicals-final-performance-report-august-july Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy and Chemical Kinetics of Free Radicals. Final Performance Report, August 1, 1985 – July 31, 1994]," National Accelerator Laboratory, Rice University, United States Department of Energy, (June 1995).
• Curl, R. F. and G. P. Glass. "[https://www.osti.gov/biblio/838138-infrared-absorption-spectroscopy-chemical-kinetics-free-radicals Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy and Chemical Kinetics of Free Radicals, Final Technical Report]," Rice University, United States Department of Energy, (November 2004).

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{{Reflist}}

{{Wikiquote}}

• {{Nobelprize}}
• Finding aid to the [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/ricewrc/00036/rice-00036.html Guide to the Robert F. Curl Academic papers, 1981–2008, bulk 1985–1993 MS 483], Rice University
• [http://nano.rice.edu Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology]
• Career retrospective interviews [https://academicinfluence.com/interviews/chemistry/robert-curl Discovery, history, and lucky accidents in chemistry] and [https://academicinfluence.com/interviews/chemistry/robert-curl-karina What is it like to be a scientist?], AcademicInfluence.com, November/December 2020

{{Nobel Prize in Chemistry Laureates 1976-2000}}

{{1996 Nobel Prize winners}}

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Category:1933 births

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Category:American Nobel laureates

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Category:Fellows of Optica (society)

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Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences

Category:Nobel laureates in Chemistry

Category:People from Alice, Texas

Category:Jefferson High School (San Antonio, Texas) alumni

Category:Rice University alumni

Category:Rice University faculty

Category:Scientists from Texas

Category:American spectroscopists

Category:Carbon scientists

Category:UC Berkeley College of Chemistry alumni

Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand