John E. Bercaw

John E. Bercaw (born December 3, 1944) is an American chemist and Centennial Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus at the California Institute of Technology.

Early life and education Born on December 3, 1944 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Bercaw obtained his bachelor of science in 1967 from North Carolina State University and later his PhD from the University of Michigan in 1971 under the direction of Hans-Herbert Brintzinger, followed by postdoctoral research with Jack Halpern at the University of Chicago.

Career He joined the faculty at the Caltech in 1972. Bercaw was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1991.

He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences (elected 1990), and he has received several national awards from the American Chemical Society (see below).

His research interests are in synthetic, structural and mechanistic organotransition metal chemistry, including most recently catalysts for polymerization and trimerization of olefins and investigations of hydrocarbon hydroxylation; fundamental transformations and thermodynamics of organotransition metal chemistry; catalysts for hydrocarbon partial oxidation; catalysts for olefin trimerization and polymerization; homogeneous transformations of carbon monoxide and dihydrogen to fuels and chemicals.

Prof. Bercaw has greatly enhanced understanding of the mechanisms of Ziegler-Natta (ZN) olefin polymerizations. This metal-catalyzed polymerization process is operated on a vast scale and produces, worldwide, over 200 billion pounds of polyolefins per year. Bercaw’s work has led to an understanding of the mechanisms of chain growth in ZN polymerizations and the factors which control syndio- and isotacticities and the degree of comonomer incorporation in copolymerizations; these variables are critical in determining the physical properties of the resultant polymers and copolymers.

Commercial processes have been based on Bercaw’s discoveries. For example, new and superior ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymers are now industrially produced with titanium catalysts utilizing (η5- C5Me4)SiMe2NCMe3 and related ligands devised in Bercaw’s laboratories. These copolymers have proved to have superior properties. These types of systems have also allowed superior methods for production of ethylene/propylene and ethylene/propylene/diene elastomers.

Awards Source: Year Awards 1980 ACS Award in Pure Chemistry 1990 ACS Award in Organometallic Chemistry 1997 ACS Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Inorganic Chemistry 1999 ACS George A. Olah Award in Hydrocarbon or Petroleum Chemistry 1999 American Institute of Chemists Chemical Pioneer Award 2000 ACS Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award 2005 Northwestern University - Chemistry Department's Basolo Medal 2008 University of Chicago Chemistry Department Closs Lecturer 2013 Southern California Section of the ACS Tolman Medal 2014 Willard Gibbs Award 2017 Gabor A. Somorjai Award for Creative Research in Catalysis