Rudolph A. Marcus

About Rudolph A. Marcus

Who is it?: Chemist
Birth Day: July 21, 1923
Birth Place: Montreal, Canada, Canadian
Citizenship: United States, Canada
Alma mater: McGill University (BSc, PhD)
Known for: Electron transfer
Spouse(s): Laura Hearne (m. 1949; death 2003)
Children: 3
Awards: Irving Langmuir Award (1978) ForMemRS (1987) Peter Debye Award (1988) National Medal of Science (1989) Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1992)
Fields: Chemistry
Institutions: New York University Tandon School of Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign California Institute of Technology
Thesis: Studies on the conversion of PHX to AcAn (1946)
Doctoral advisor: Carl A. Winkler
Website: www.cce.caltech.edu/content/rudolph-a-marcus

Rudolph A. Marcus

Rudolph A. Marcus was born on July 21, 1923 in Montreal, Canada, Canadian, is Chemist. Rudolph A. Marcus is a Canadian-American chemist who received the 1992 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the theory of electron-transfer reactions in chemical systems. The Marcus theory, named after him, provides a framework for explaining diverse and fundamental phenomena such as photosynthesis, cell metabolism, and simple corrosion. He is also known for his work in areas such as transition-state theory and the theory of unimolecular reactions. Born in Montreal, Quebec, he developed an early interest in science, thanks to the influence of his two highly educated paternal uncles. Even though his own parents were not much educated, they wholeheartedly encouraged their son’s academic interests. After completing his high school he joined the McGill University to study chemistry. He also took several courses in mathematics. He eventually moved to the United States for a postdoctoral research fellowship and ultimately became an American citizen. It was in the 1950s that he began studying electron-transfer reactions and investigated the role of surrounding solvent molecules in determining the rate of redox reactions. He propounded the Marcus theory which is used to describe a number of important processes in chemistry and biology, including photosynthesis, corrosion, and certain types of chemiluminescence. He also developed Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus theory by combining RRK theory with transition state theory.
Rudolph A. Marcus is a member of Scientists

Does Rudolph A. Marcus Dead or Alive?

As per our current Database, Rudolph A. Marcus is still alive (as per Wikipedia, Last update: May 10, 2020).

🎂 Rudolph A. Marcus - Age, Bio, Faces and Birthday

Currently, Rudolph A. Marcus is 101 years, 3 months and 12 days old. Rudolph A. Marcus will celebrate 102rd birthday on a Monday 21st of July 2025. Below we countdown to Rudolph A. Marcus upcoming birthday.

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Popular As Rudolph A. Marcus
Occupation Scientists
Age 101 years old
Zodiac Sign Leo
Born July 21, 1923 (Montreal, Canada, Canadian)
Birthday July 21
Town/City Montreal, Canada, Canadian
Nationality Canadian

🌙 Zodiac

Rudolph A. Marcus’s zodiac sign is Leo. According to astrologers, people born under the sign of Leo are natural born leaders. They are dramatic, creative, self-confident, dominant and extremely difficult to resist, able to achieve anything they want to in any area of life they commit to. There is a specific strength to a Leo and their "king of the jungle" status. Leo often has many friends for they are generous and loyal. Self-confident and attractive, this is a Sun sign capable of uniting different groups of people and leading them as one towards a shared cause, and their healthy sense of humor makes collaboration with other people even easier.

🌙 Chinese Zodiac Signs

Rudolph A. Marcus was born in the Year of the Pig. Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Pig are extremely nice, good-mannered and tasteful. They’re perfectionists who enjoy finer things but are not perceived as snobs. They enjoy helping others and are good companions until someone close crosses them, then look out! They’re intelligent, always seeking more knowledge, and exclusive. Compatible with Rabbit or Goat.

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Biography/Timeline

1943

He earned a B.Sc. in 1943 and a Ph.D. in 1946, both from McGill University. In 1958, Marcus became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

1946

After graduating, in 1946, he worked at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. In 1952, at the University of North Carolina, he developed Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus theory by combining RRK theory with transition state theory. In 1964, he taught at the University of Illinois.

1950

A type of chemical reaction linked to his many studies of electron transfer would be the transfer of an electron between metal ions in different states of oxidation. An Example of this type of chemical reaction would be one between a bivalent and a trivalent iron ion in an aqueous solution. In Marcus's time chemists were astonished at the slow rate in which this specific reaction took place. This attracted many chemists in the 1950s and is also what began Marcus's interests in electron transfer. Marcus made many studies based on the principles that were found within this chemical reaction, and through his studies was able to create his famous Marcus theory. This theory gave way to new experimental programs that contributed to all branches within chemistry.

1970

He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1970, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1973, the American Philosophical Society in 1990, received honorary membership in the Royal Society of Chemistry in 1991, and in the Royal Society of Canada in 1993. He was elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS) in 1987.

1975

He also received a Professorial Fellowship at University College, Oxford from 1975 to 1976.

1983

Honorary degrees were conferred to Marcus by the University of Chicago in 1983, by the University of Goteborg in 1986, by the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1987, by McGill in 1988, by Queen's University in 1993, by the University of New Brunswick also in 1993 and by the University of Hyderabad, in India, which conferred the degree of Doctor of Science in 2012.

1992

Before receiving the Nobel Prize in 1992, Marcus received the National Medal of Science in 1989, the Irving Langmuir Award of the American Chemical Society in 1978, the Willard Gibbs Award in 1988, the Theodore William Richards Award in 1990, the Pauling Medals in 1991, and the Remsen and Edgar Fahs Smith Awards in 1991, the Peter Debye Award of the American Chemical Society in 1988, the Robinson Award in 1982, the Centenary Medals of the Faraday Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 1988, Columbia University's Chandler Medal in 1983, Ohio State's william Lloyd Evans Award in 1990, the Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 1985 and the Hirschfelder Prize in Chemistry in 1993. Marcus has been a Member of the National Academy of Sciences since 1970, and a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1973. He won the Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 1984.

2019

Electron transfer is one of the simplest forms of a chemical reaction. It consists of one outer-sphere electron transfer between substances of the same atomic structure likewise to Marcus’s studies between bivalent and trivalent iron ions. Electron transfer may be one of the most basic forms of chemical reaction but without it life cannot exist. Electron transfer is used in all respiratory functions as well as photosynthesis. In the process of oxidizing food molecules, 2 hydrogen ions, 2 electrons, and an oxygen molecule react to make an exothermic reaction as well as H2O (water). Due to fact that electron transfer is such a broad, Common, as well as essential reaction within nature, Marcus's theory has become vital within the field of chemistry.

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