Henry Taube (1915–2005): Electron Transfer

Henry Taube died on November 16, 2005, at his home on the campus of Stanford University. He was born on November 30, 1915, in Neudorf (Saskatchewan, Canada), the son of farmers of German descent who immigrated to Canada from the Ukraine. His first language was low German, and he occasionally referred to himself as “just a farm boy from Saskatchewan”, although such a description belied a character of considerable sophistication. In an interview published in 2005,1 he commented on the influence of his father, known to his community as “Honest Sam Taube”, by saying: “He always kept his word and that had a large influence on my life and science. Although I've often been disappointed by ideas that didn't work out, I learned not to fool myself, not to see things that weren't there, not to disregard the science.” Henry attended the University of Saskatchewan, where he received his BS and MS degrees, then moved to the University of California at Berkeley, where he earned his PhD in 1940 while working with William Bray. After faculty positions at Cornell University (1941–1946) and the University of Chicago (1946–1961), he moved to Stanford University, where he became Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor in 1976. He held the Department Chair between 1972 and 1974 and from 1978 to 1979. In 1986, he became emeritus but continued to carry out active experimental studies until about five years ago. Henry Taube was “one of the most creative research workers of our age in the field of coordination chemistry throughout its extent,” according to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in the citation accompanying the announcement of the 1983 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.2 He was long interested in oxidation–reduction processes beginning with studies involving ozone and hydrogen peroxide, and during the 1940s his work centered on oxidations of main-group elements by small molecules. Although Henry's contribution to understanding inorganic redox mechanisms was the focus of his Nobel Prize citation, the scope of his research was much broader. He was among the first to determine coordination numbers and stabilities of solvated transition-metal ions and to apply paramagnetic metal complexes as NMR shift reagents. He was also among the first to use isotopes in delving into reaction mechanisms. The synthesis in his laboratory in the 1960s of certain dinuclear ruthenium complexes—the so-called Creutz–Taube ion—led to considerable interest and debate on the nature of mixed-valence compounds. More recent studies concerned with the reactions between osmium amines and various organic ligands were at the interface between coordination and organometallic chemistry. It is difficult to give justice to the full impact of his contributions on modern chemistry and biochemistry. The press release on the 1983 Nobel Prize concluded with “Henry Taube […︁] has for thirty years been at the leading edge of research in several fields […︁]”. Henry's honors included election to the US National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as honorary memberships of the national academies of Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, India, Japan, and the UK. Besides the Nobel Prize and among a much longer list of distinguished awards, he was the recipient of the National Medal of Science in 1977, the Robert A. Welch Award in Chemistry in 1983, and the American Chemical Society Priestley Medal in 1985. His students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty colleagues valued Henry Taube not only for his extraordinary scientific achievements but also as a really genuine person, a wonderful human being. As a research mentor, he would make several daily rounds through the laboratory to chat with students and postdoctoral researchers, and frequently began a conversation with the question, “What's new?”. An accepted response might be a comment on politics, world affairs, cultural events, or sports, all of which Henry was comfortable discussing, although he was of course especially open to talking about the science at hand. Group members did not feel that they worked for him, they worked with him. Often an intellectual debate would be accompanied by a wager on a particular result, a bottle of wine being a common currency. His real talent was making chemistry not only challenging and stimulating to his co-workers but a lot of fun as well. He appealed to one's better instincts and made one want to live up to his expectations. Henry's interests extended beyond the laboratory. He was an enthusiastic gardener and enjoyed listening to music and reading novels. He was a collector of different items: at one time old recordings of classical and operatic music; at other times antique blowtorches and old bottles. He was a gracious host and loved a good martini. Several years ago, the Taube Lecture was established at Stanford to honor Henry's seminal contributions to inorganic chemistry. Henry presented the inaugural lecture, an amazingly insightful overview of his thoughts on backbonding. This has been followed by annual lectures in his honor by outstanding inorganic chemists. Henry's family requests that any contributions be made to the Taube Lecture Fund. Henry Taube was a great scientist, mentor, colleague, and person. Speaking collectively for his former co-workers, colleagues, and friends, we will miss him.

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