Walter Kohn. Scientist awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1998 .
Summary
[ hide ]
- 1 Beginnings
- 2 Institutions
- 3 Selection of Awards
- 4 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- 5 Sources
the beginning
He was born in Vienna , Austria on March 9, 1923 . He studied mathematics and physics at the University of Toronto in 1945 and completed a specialty in applied mathematics also in Toronto , which culminated in 1946 . He obtained a doctorate in physics from Harvard University in 1948 .
He formulated the theory of functional density that allows us to find out the geometry of molecules and their bonding properties. He showed that in order to theoretically obtain the geometry of a more or less complex molecule, it is not necessary to consider the movement of each electron individually, but it is enough to know the average number of electrons located at any point in space. This has made possible the study of large molecules and has served, for example, to explain how enzymatic reactions take place.
Institutions
- University of Toronto, 1945
- Harvard University, 1946
- Carnegie Mellon University, 1950 – 1960
- University of California, 1960 – 1979
- Kavli Institute
- American National Academy of Sciences.
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
- Royal Societyof London .
Selection of Awards
- Buckley Prizefrom the American Physical Society in 1961 .
- Davisson-Germer Prizein 1977 .
- Feenberg Medalin 1991 .
- Nobel Prize in Chemistryin 1998 .
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
In 1998 he was recognized with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his “pioneering contribution to the theoretical study of molecular properties and chemical processes”
