William Lipscomb
Scientists

William Lipscomb Net Worth

William Lipscomb was an American chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1976 for his research on the structure of molecules and chemical bonding. He was greatly influenced by his mentor Linus C. Pauling and went on to receive his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Kentucky and his doctorate from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He then joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota in 1946 and moved to Harvard University after 13 years. He also served on the board of directors of Dow Chemical and was a classical clarinetist who performed in chamber groups.
William Lipscomb is a member of Scientists

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Chemist
Birth Day December 09, 1919
Birth Place Cleveland, Ohio, United States, United States
Age 101 YEARS OLD
Died On April 14, 2011(2011-04-14) (aged 91)\nCambridge, Massachusetts, US
Birth Sign Capricorn
Alma mater University of Kentucky California Institute of Technology
Awards Peter Debye Award (1973) Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1976)
Fields Nuclear magnetic resonance Theoretical chemistry Boron chemistry Biochemistry
Institutions University of Minnesota Harvard University
Doctoral advisor Linus Pauling
Doctoral students Richard E. Dickerson Roald Hoffmann Russell M. Pitzer Thomas A. Steitz Donald Voet Don C. Wiley Irene Pepperberg
Other notable students Martha L. Ludwig Michael Rossmann Raymond C. Stevens

💰 Net worth: $14 Million (2024)

William Lipscomb, a renowned chemist in the United States, is projected to have a net worth of $14 million by 2024. Lipscomb's extensive contributions to the field of chemistry have not only earned him recognition but also substantial wealth. With a career marked by pioneering research and groundbreaking discoveries, Lipscomb has undoubtedly made a lasting impact on the scientific community. His net worth reflects both his successful professional endeavors and the recognition he has received for his outstanding contributions to the field.

Biography/Timeline

1920

Lipscomb was born in Cleveland, Ohio. His family moved to Lexington, Kentucky in 1920, and he lived there until he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1941. He went on to earn his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 1946.

1940

In this area Lipscomb originally intended a more ambitious project: "My original intention in the late 1940s was to spend a few years understanding the boranes, and then to discover a systematic valence description of the vast numbers of electron deficient intermetallic compounds. I have made little progress toward this latter objective. Instead, the field of boron chemistry has grown enormously, and a systematic understanding of some of its complexities has now begun." Examples of these intermetallic compounds are KHg13 and Cu5Zn7. Of perhaps 24,000 of such compounds the structures of only 4,000 are known (in 2005) and we cannot predict structures for the others, because we do not sufficiently understand the nature of the chemical bond. This study was not successful, in part because the calculation time required for intermetallic compounds was out of reach in the 1960s, but intermediate goals involving boron bonding were achieved, sufficient to be awarded a Nobel Prize.

1944

Lipscomb was married to the former Mary Adele Sargent from 1944 to 1983. They had three children, one of whom lived only a few hours. He married Jean Evans in 1983. They had one adopted daughter.

1946

From 1946 to 1959 he taught at the University of Minnesota. From 1959 to 1990 he was a professor of chemistry at Harvard University, where he was a professor emeritus since 1990.

1950

Lipscomb deduced the molecular structure of boranes (compounds of boron and hydrogen) using X-ray crystallography in the 1950s and developed theories to explain their bonds. Later he applied the same methods to related problems, including the structure of carboranes (compounds of carbon, boron, and hydrogen).

1973

The Colonel is how Lipscomb's students referred to him, directly addressing him as Colonel. "His first doctoral student, Murray Vernon King, pinned the label on him, and it was quickly adopted by other students, who wanted to use an appellation that showed informal respect. ... Lipscomb's Kentucky origins as the rationale for the designation." Some years later in 1973 Lipscomb was made a member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels.

1976

The 1976 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Lipscomb "for his studies on the structure of boranes illuminating problems of chemical bonding". In a way this continued work on the nature of the chemical bond by his Doctoral Advisor at the California Institute of Technology, Linus Pauling, who was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his research into the nature of the chemical bond and its application to the elucidation of the structure of complex substances."

2009

Subsequent Nobel Prize winner Ada Yonath, who shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Thomas A. Steitz and Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, spent some time in Lipscomb's lab where both she and Steitz were inspired to pursue later their own very large structures. This was while she was a postdoctoral student at MIT in 1970.

2010

Lipscomb, along with several other Nobel laureates, was a regular presenter at the annual Ig Nobel Awards Ceremony, last doing so on September 30, 2010.

2011

Lipscomb resided in Cambridge, Massachusetts until his death in 2011 from pneumonia.

2013

The ethane barrier to rotation (diagram at left) was first calculated accurately by Pitzer and Lipscomb using the Hartree–Fock (SCF) method.

Some William Lipscomb images

About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.