Professor Robert D. Gillard: Transition Metal Chemist 1936–2013: Part II

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The second part of this commemoration covers the final stage of Robert Gillard’s career as Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at Cardiff University and his time in retirement. At Cardiff he built on earlier work while extending his scientific interests still further into mineralogical and archaeological chemistry, and even into forensic dentistry. Coordination chemistry research continued and included the polysulfide S5 chain as a bidentate ligand in the all-inorganic cyclic PtS5 unit and the rhodium(III) complex [Rh(S5)3]3–. His penchant for discussion led him into several controversies, particularly over his ‘covalent hydration’ hypothesis of coordinated nitrogen-carbon double bonds in metal complexes which included those with platinum and 2,2’-bipyridine. He travelled widely attending international conferences and giving lectures. Research collaborations continued throughout his time at Cardiff and in particular he had many strong links with Portugal, both with colleagues there and as supervisor of Portuguese higher degree students at Cardiff. His years in retirement were spent in finalising his research legacy, in continuing to read historical literature, both chemical and otherwise, and in following his musical interests that had included many years singing in the Cwmbach Male Voice Choir.