John E. Bercaw

John E. Bercaw ( born December 3, 1944 in Cincinnati ) is an American chemist who deals with metal-organic chemistry.

Bercaw 1967 received his bachelor's degree at North Carolina State University and in 1971 at the University of Michigan with Hans -Herbert on Titanocene Brintzinger doctorate ( titanocenes as a Reactive Intermediate in the Reduction of Molecular Hydrogen and Nitrogen). As a post - graduate student, he was at the University of Chicago with Jack Halpern. From 1972, he was Arthur Amos Noyes Research Fellow where he was an assistant professor in 1974, associate professor in 1977 and professor in 1979 at Caltech. In 1993 he was there Centennial Professor.

It deals with the synthesis, structure and mechanics of transition metal complexes in organic chemistry, their transformations and thermodynamics. He also deals with catalysts for the partial oxidation of hydrocarbons for olefin trimerization and polymerization catalysts specially pincer ligand type. He developed organometallic catalysts for CH bond activation and conversion of synthesis gas.

In 1989 he was a visiting professor in Konstanz and guest scientists from the Royal Society of Chemistry, Oxford, 1990 Miller Professor at Berkeley.

Honors and Memberships

From 1976 to 1978 he was Sloan Fellow.