István T. Horváth (6 August 1953 – 7 March 2022) was a Hungarian American

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

, working on greener and more

sustainable chemistry Green chemistry, also called sustainable chemistry, is an area of chemistry and chemical engineering focused on the design of products and processes that minimize or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. While environmental che ...

since its inception. In particular, he focuses on homogeneous transition metal catalysis and in situ

spectroscopy Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets the electromagnetic spectra that result from the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter as a function of the wavelength or frequency of the radiation. Matter wa ...

. He was highly involved and very influential in the now enormous field of fluorous solvents and technologies.

Education

Horváth obtained his Diploma in

Chemical Engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...

(1977) and

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in Chemistry (1979) at Veszprem University in Hungary.

Career

Following his PhD, Horváth went on to spend time at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

as a Postdoctoral research associate (1982–1984), and as a Scientific Co-worker at

ETH Zurich (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , ac ...

(1984–1987). This was followed by a stint at

ExxonMobil ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 30, ...

Corporate Research, Anandale, New Jersey (1987–1998). He re-entered academia at the Institute of Chemistry in

Eötvös Loránd University Eötvös Loránd University ( hu, Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem, ELTE) is a Hungarian public research university based in Budapest. Founded in 1635, ELTE is one of the largest and most prestigious public higher education institutions in Hung ...

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

(1999–2009), and then became a Chair Professor of Chemistry and the Head of the Department of Biology and Chemistry at the City University of Hong Kong.

Research

his research lies in the conversion of biomass into platform chemicals, and the development of more sustainable fluorous solvent-based processes. He proposed that ''gamma''-Valerolactone (GVL) exhibits the most important characteristics of a sustainable liquid and it can be used for the production of both energy and carbon-based consumer products. It was confirmed by isotope labeling that fructose can be converted to

hydroxymethylfurfural Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), also 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural, is an organic compound formed by the dehydration of reducing sugars. It is a white low-melting solid (although commercial samples are often yellow) which is highly soluble in both water ...

(HMF) then to levulinic acid (LA) and

formic acid Formic acid (), systematically named methanoic acid, is the simplest carboxylic acid, and has the chemical formula HCOOH and structure . It is an important intermediate in chemical synthesis and occurs naturally, most notably in some ants. Es ...

(FA) and finally to GVL in GVL as the solvent. He is also the editor of numerous books and other peer-reviewed publications in the fields of catalysis, green chemistry, and fluorous technologies.

Awards and honours

Horváth was made an Honorary Member of the Accademia Nazionale di Scienze, Lettere e Arti Modena in 2010. He was elected Fellow of the American Chemical Society in 2014.American Chemical Society list of fellows
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horvath, Istvan T. 1953 births 2022 deaths Hungarian chemists Hungarian scientists Scientists from Budapest