Noble Prize Winners of 1998
Connor, Maria, Alyssa
John A. Pople
Birthday- October 31, 1925
Born in Burnham-on-Sea, United Kingdom
Died on March 25, 2004
Education- Mathematics degree from Trinity College of Cambridge
Place of Work- Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Field- Theoretical Chemistry
Pople was the first in his family to attend University.
Walter Kohn
Birthday- March 9, 1923
Born in Vienna, Austria
Education- 1948: Harvard University, Degree: Ph.D., Physics 1946: University of Toronto Degree: M.A., Applied Mathematics 1942: University of Toronto Degree: B.A., Mathematics and Physics
Place of Work- The University of California at Santa Barbara as a professor
Field- Theoterical Chemistry
When Kohn was a young boy, he had to endure the Holocaust.
Breakthroughs in Theoretical Chemistry
- John A Pople and Walter Kohn developed new methods that allowed scientists to have a more accurate understanding of theoretical properties and functions of a molecule.
- Pople invented the GAUSSIAN program (a computer program) which allowed chemists to explain theoretically why reaction paths moved the way they do in chemical reactions.
- Pople pulled from other computer programs and models to create his own program.
- Kohn developed the Density-Functional Theory which proves that knowing the average number of electrons in any given area around the nucleus in order to make calculations easier.
- Pople's program significantly helped kohn to develop and prove Kohn.
Impact on the Scientific Community
- The Density-Functional theory simplified the process of making calculations for molecular properties. Pople made it possible to use the computer to enhance the theoretical study of molecules.
- There were programs available at the time and Pople stripped them down and rebuilt them. The programs allowed scientists be able to visualize the the molecules. Kohn's density-functional theory made the process of calculating molecules easier than before.
- The program made by Pople is now being used by chemists in Unverisities and many commercial companies. The theory is being used in quantum chemistry.
- Other chemists could work off of Pople and Kohn and make the process of molecule calculations easier and help make the program represent the structures and molecules better.
Walter Kohn receiving his Noble Peace Prize from the King.
John Pople receiving his Noble Peace Prize from the King.
the certifiacte that commemorates Walter Kohn for his work.
The certificate that commemorates John Pople for his work.