Jay Kochi

Jay Kazuo Kochi (1927–2008) was an American physical organometallic chemist who held lectureship at Harvard University, and faculty positions at Case Institute of Technology, 1962-1969, (now Case Western Reserve University), Indiana University, 1969 to 1984, and the University of Houston, 1984 to 2008.[1]

Jay Kochi
Born(1927-05-17)May 17, 1927
Los Angeles, California, US
DiedAugust 9, 2008(2008-08-09) (aged 81)
Houston, Texas, US
NationalityUS
Alma mater
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsPhysical chemistry
Institutions
ThesisThe application of the Hammett equation to the solvolysis of benzyl tosylates (1952)
Doctoral advisorGeorge S. Hammond
InfluencedRoger A. Sheldon

Early life and education

Kochi was born to Japanese immigrant parents on May 17, 1927, in Los Angeles, California, where he and his family had lived until he and his family were imprisoned at the Gila River War Relocation Center in 1942 just after the United States entered the Second World War.[1] After the war, Kochi and his family returned to California and Kochi later attended UCLA.[2]

Kochi received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1949 and his Ph.D. at Iowa State University in 1952 with George S. Hammond and Henry Gilman as advisors.[3] For the majority of his faculty career, he was located at the University of Houston, where he was Welch Professor.

Research

Kochi's research examined the interactions of electron donors and acceptors. One topic of his study was the nitration of benzene to give nitrobenzene. Kochi's work showed that this reaction proceeds via a complex between benzene (the donor) and nitrosonium ion (the acceptor).[4] He also contributed to many aspects of organometallic chemistry, including the discovery of Cu, Fe, and Ag-catalyzed cross-coupling processes (which preceded the discovery of the better known Pd and Ni-catalyzed versions),[5] as well as several metal-catalyzed oxidative processes.[6][7][8] At the time, these results were largely ignored by the synthetic organic chemistry community. Many decades later, interest in base metal catalysis sparked significant efforts to further develop cross-coupling reactions catalyzed by metals such as Fe in particular.[9] His research in organometallic chemistry emphasized the importance of electron-transfer processes and radical species as intermediates. Many of these results (and the results of other investigators) are summarized in a monograph.[10]

Awards and honors

Kochi received many awards for his research, including election to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. He developed the Kochi reaction, a variation on the Hunsdiecker reaction.[11]

Personal life

Kochi was of Japanese descent and he and his family were forcibly interned at the Gila River War Relocation Center during World War II.[1][12] He died at his home in Houston, Texas on August 9, 2008, after a brief illness.[13]

References
  1. Fackler, J. P. (2008). "In Memoriam-Jay K. Kochi (1927–2008)". Comments on Inorganic Chemistry. 29 (5–6): 130–131. doi:10.1080/02603590802518644. S2CID 93238263.
  2. Yerke, Gregory (July 13, 2016). "Introducing the Professor Jay K. Kochi Papers". University of Houston Libraries.
  3. Kochi, Jay Kazuo (1952). The application of the Hammett equation to the solvolysis of benzyl tosylates (Ph.D.). Iowa State University. OCLC 908156744 – via ProQuest.
  4. Rosokha, S. V.; Kochi, J. K. (2008). "Fresh Look at Electron-Transfer Mechanisms via the Donor/Acceptor Bindings in the Critical Encounter Complex". Accounts of Chemical Research. 41 (5): 641–53. doi:10.1021/ar700256a. PMID 18380446.
  5. TAMURA, M.; KOCHI, J. (1971). "Coupling of Grignard Reagents with Organic Halides". Synthesis. 1971 (6): 303–305. doi:10.1055/s-1971-35043. ISSN 0039-7881.
  6. Sheldon, Roger; Kochi, Jay (1981). Metal-catalyzed oxidations of organic compounds : mechanistic principles and synthetic methodology including biochemical processes. New York: Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-639380-4.
  7. Sheldon, R. A.; Kochi, J. Y. K. (1981). "Introduction to Metal-Catalyzed Oxidations". Metal-catalyzed Oxidations of Organic Compounds. pp. 1. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-639380-4.50007-5. ISBN 9780126393804.
  8. Srinivasan, K.; Michaud, P.; Kochi, J. K. (1986). "Epoxidation of olefins with cationic (salen)manganese(III) complexes. The modulation of catalytic activity by substituents". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 108 (9): 2309–20. doi:10.1021/ja00269a029. PMID 22175576.
  9. Fürstner, Alois; Leitner, Andreas; Méndez, María; Krause, Helga (2002-11-01). "Iron-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 124 (46): 13856–13863. doi:10.1021/ja027190t. ISSN 0002-7863. PMID 12431116.
  10. Kochi, Jay K. (1978). Organometallic Mechanisms and Catalysis: The Role of Reactive Intermediates in Organic Processes. New York: Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-418250-9.
  11. Kochi, Jay K. (1965). "A New Method for Halodecarboxylation of Acids Using Lead(IV) Acetate". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 87 (11): 2500–2502. doi:10.1021/ja01089a041.
  12. "Japanese American Internee Data File: Kazuo Kochi". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  13. "Obituaries". Iowa State University Alumni Association.
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