Richard E. Smalley (6 June 1943–28 October 2005)

Abstract

AbstractThe international scientific community suffered a great loss with the death of Richard Errett (Rick) Smalley at age 62 following a 6‐year battle against cancer. Throughout his career, Rick had a profound influence through his pioneering research in chemistry and nanoscience, his mentorship of young scientists, and his advocacy for the role of science in solving major societal problems.As a postdoctoral fellow working with Donald Levy and Lennard Wharton at the University of Chicago, Rick spearheaded the invention of supersonic jet spectroscopy. This powerful method cools gas phase molecules nearly to absolute zero, enormously simplifying many complex and otherwise uninterpretable spectra. Thirty years later, supersonic jet spectroscopy remains a vital tool in chemical physics.Rick Smalley came to Rice University in Houston, Texas in 1976 to accept his first and only faculty appointment. He and his students quickly built an advanced apparatus for supersonic jet spectroscopy and made important contributions to molecular physics. Rick then invented a device to laser‐vaporize high melting materials into small molecular clusters. By spectroscopically probing these novel species, he pioneered another new field: the study of small metal and semiconductor clusters. Rick, Harry Kroto and Robert Curl were investigating carbon clusters in 1985 when they made their famous discovery of the fullerenes, for which they shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. To date, tens of thousands of scientific papers have been published on fullerenes.In the early 1990's, Rick Smalley turned his attention to the new field of carbon nanotubes. His group made many landmark discoveries and invented nanotube growth methods that supplied samples for researchers around the world. Most recently, Rick expanded his horizons to seek solutions to the immense problem of global energy needs. He helped shape national and international research priorities, including the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative. Rick was a visionary and passionate believer in the power of science and technology to solve great problems. He advised students: “Be a scientist and save the world.”Rick Smalley had great personal charm and charisma. He loved to teach and inspire his students, some of whom described him as “Moses‐like”. He was fearless not only in abandoning the comforts of a successful research program to leap into promising but uncertain new fields, but also in battling his fatal disease while working intensely until the very end of his life. He was devoted to and is survived by his wife Deborah and two sons, Chad and Preston.Rick Smalley's untimely death is a loss not only to his family, friends, students, colleagues, and collaborators, but to the worldwide communities that he led and served. He will be deeply missed and long remembered. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)