Noel Sydney Hush (15 December 1924 – 20 March 2019) was an Australian

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 ...

at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

Career

Hush was born in Sydney on 15 December 1924 and obtained his BSc hons (1945) and MSc (1948) at the University of Sydney, where he worked as a research fellow in the Department of Chemistry (1945–49). He then accepted an invitation from M. G. Evans FRS to work in England as an assistant lecturer at the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

(1950–54) in the department created by Michael Polanyi. He was subsequently lecturer and then reader in the Department of Chemistry,

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

(1955–71). He returned to Australia in 1971 to found the Department of Theoretical Chemistry at the University of Sydney, the first such department in Australia. In 1989 he became a full-time research-only emeritus professor. He has held numerous prestigious visiting scientist positions at universities in Australia, the UK, and the US.

Adiabatic electron transfer

A unifying theme of Hush's research is explanation of chemical electron transfer. This is the basis of oxidation–reduction processes, which are ubiquitous in nature in both the inorganic and biological spheres. The mechanism of these reactions—the simplest of which proceed without making or breaking chemical bonds—remained unknown until the mid-1950s, when several independent theoretical studies showed that it was due to modulation of coupling between electronic and vibrational motions. According to his Royal Society election citation, Hush's research in the area of homogeneous and heterogeneous electron transfer showed that electron transfer occurring during a collision between a molecule and either another molecule or an electrode surface occurs adiabatically on a continuous potential-energy surface, and that electron transfer can occur by either optical or thermal mechanisms with the corresponding rates being closely connected.

Awards

* 2014 Ahmed Zewail Prize for Molecular Science * 2011 Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences of USA. * 2010 Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales (FRNS) * 2007

Welch Award The Welch Award in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Robert A. Welch Foundation The Welch Foundation, based in Houston, Texas, is one of the United States' oldest and largest private funding sources for chemistry researchers. It is a non-profi ...

* 2005 Physical Division Medal of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (FRACI) * 2001 Australian Federation

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...

* 2000 Inaugural David Craig Medal and Lecture of the

Australian Academy of Science The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal Soci ...

* 1999 Foreign Member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

* 1994

Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture The Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture of the Australian Academy of Science is awarded biennially to recognise exceptional research by Australian scientists in the physical sciences. Nominations can only be made by Academy Fellows. Recipients Sourc ...

from the

* 1993 Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) * 1990 Centenary Medal of the

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Ro ...

* 1988 Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) * 1977 Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA) * 1977 Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (FRACI)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hush, Noel 1924 births 2019 deaths Scientists from Sydney University of Sydney faculty Australian biochemists Officers of the Order of Australia Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science Fellows of the Royal Society Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Fellows of the Royal Society of New South Wales Australian expatriates in the United Kingdom

Career

Adiabatic electron transfer

Awards

See also

References