George C. Pimentel

Inventor of the chemical laser (1922–1989)

George Claude Pimentel (May 2, 1922 – June 18, 1989) was a preeminent chemist and researcher, the inventor of the chemical laser, who was also dedicated to science education and public service. He developed the technique of matrix isolation in low-temperature chemistry.²

From Wikipedia’s article on George C. Pimentel (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born May 2, 1922, died Jun 18, 1989.¹

About

He also developed time-resolved infrared spectroscopy to study radicals and other transient species. In the late 1960s, Pimentel led the University of California team that designed the infrared spectrometer for the Mars Mariner 6 and 7 missions that analyzed the surface and atmosphere of Mars.

He was a passionate and popular teacher of first-year chemistry for his entire career.

In science education, he was best known for the CHEM STUDY project, a national effort to improve high-school chemistry teaching. He participated in the production of films and other supplementary materials and in the training of teachers nationwide. Later, in 1985, he organized and edited the National Academy of Sciences' "Pimentel Report," formally known as Opportunities in Chemistry, which highlighted the most important challenges in chemistry at that time. It was a resource for general public including lawmakers. A revised version, Opportunities in Chemistry Today and Tomorrow, was used worldwide for high school and college students.

An alumnus of University of California, Los Angeles (B.S. 1943) and University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D. 1949), Pimentel began teaching at Berkeley in 1949, where he remained until his death in 1989 from intestinal cancer, with a three year appointment as Deputy Director at the National Science Foundation under the Carter administration in Washington, D.C..

From Wikipedia’s article on George C. Pimentel, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.²

Companies

American Chemical SocietyChair³²

Early life and education

1949University of California, Berkeley Doctor of Philosophy; chemistry^{3 5}
Date not recordedUniversity of California, Los Angeles^{3 4}

Career

Occupation: university teacher, chemist.⁸

Date not recordedWorked at University of California, Berkeley^{5 6}
Date not recordedChair, American Chemical Society⁷

Personal life

BornMay 2, 1922, Fresno⁹
DiedJun 18, 1989, Kensington^{10 11}
CitizenshipUnited States^{12 13}
ResidenceKensington¹⁴

Awards

1990George C. Pimentel Award in Chemical Education^{15 31}
1989Priestley Medal^{15 30}
1988American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal^{15 29}
1987Oesper Award^{15 28}
1986Welch Award in Chemistry^{15 27}
1985August Wilhelm von Hofmann Medal^{15 26}
1985Franklin Medal¹⁵
1985William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement^{15 25}
1983National Medal of Science^{15 23}
1983Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry^{15 24}

More awards (9)

1982Linus Pauling Award^{15 22}
1982Wolf Prize in Chemistry^{15 21}
1980Ellis R. Lippincott Award^{15 20}
1979Earle K. Plyler Prize^{15 19}
1975Bourke Award^{15 18}
1971Remsen Award^{15 17}
1959George A. Olah Award in Hydrocarbon or Petroleum Chemistry^{15 16}
1954Guggenheim Fellowship¹⁵
Date not recordedFellow of the American Physical Society¹⁵

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

1
WikidataGeorge C. Pimentel on Wikidata
2
WikipediaGeorge C. Pimentel on Wikipedia
3
WikidataGeorge C. Pimentel: education, on Wikidata
4
Wikidataeducation, as reported
5
Wikidataeducation, as reported
6
WikidataGeorge C. Pimentel: Worked at University of California, Berkeley, on Wikidata
7
WikidataGeorge C. Pimentel: Chair, American Chemical Society, on Wikidata
8
WikidataGeorge C. Pimentel: occupation, on Wikidata
9
WikidataGeorge C. Pimentel: place of birth, on Wikidata
10
WikidataGeorge C. Pimentel: place of death, on Wikidata
11
Wikidataplace of death, as reported by Freebase Data Dumps
12
WikidataGeorge C. Pimentel: citizenship, on Wikidata
13
Wikidatacitizenship, as reported
14
WikidataGeorge C. Pimentel: residence, on Wikidata
15
WikidataGeorge C. Pimentel: award, on Wikidata
16
Wikidataaward, as reported
17
Wikidataaward, as reported
18
Wikidataaward, as reported
19
Wikidataaward, as reported
20
Wikidataaward, as reported
21
Wikidataaward, as reported
22
Wikidataaward, as reported
23
Wikidataaward, as reported
24
Wikidataaward, as reported
25
Wikidataaward, as reported
26
Wikidataaward, as reported
27
Wikidataaward, as reported
28
Wikidataaward, as reported
29
Wikidataaward, as reported
30
Wikidataaward, as reported
31
Wikidataaward, as reported
32
WikidataAmerican Chemical Society, Chair