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[Robert S. Mulliken]. Willard Gibbs Medal....
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Description
[Robert S. Mulliken]. Willard Gibbs Medal. 1965.Gold medal measuring 55 mm in diameter. Profile bust of Josiah Willard Gibbs facing left on obverse. Reverse with laurel wreath at bottom edge and inscription: "THE WILLARD GIBBS MEDAL / FOUNDED BY WILLIAM A. CONVERSE / AWARDED TO ROBERT SANDERSON MILLIKEN / 1965 / BY THE CHICAGO SECTION OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY." Housed in original dark blue leather case lined in velvet and satin, measuring 8.5 x 8.5 cm.
The Willard Gibbs Medal, named for the pioneering American physicist and chemist J. Willard Gibbs, was awarded to Mulliken in 1965 "in recognition of his pioneering research on the application of quantum mechanics to the electronic structure and reactivity of molecules, notably, the development of the molecular orbital theory and the interpretation of the spectra of molecules." This same body of research would earn him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry the following year, solidifying his reputation as one of the foremost theoretical chemists of the twentieth century. Mulliken was the fifty-fourth recipient of the Willard Gibbs Medal, joining a list that now includes more than one hundred laureates, among them twenty-eight Nobel Prize winners.
Accompanying provenance materials include correspondence between Mulliken and several of his contemporaries, among them Nobel Laureates John Hasbrouck Van Vleck, Kenichi Fukui, and William F. Libby, as well as noted chemists Rudolph Pariser, Charles C. Price, Mary Warga, John Archibald Wheeler, Paul Doughty, and Saul Winstein. Also included is correspondence with the American Chemical Society concerning Mulliken's nomination and acceptance of the award; three copies of The Chemical Bulletin and four copies of Chemical & Engineering News containing articles about Mulliken; and his award ceremony nametag.
Condition: Medal fine in fine case. Condition of provenance material generally good, with occasional age-related wear, toning, or staining.
Reference: The Chemical Bulletin, Vol. 52, No. 5. Chicago: Schaar Scientific Company, 1965.
Provenance: From the personal collection of the 1966 Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry, Robert S. Mulliken; thence by descent.
Auction Info
2025 December 15 Rare Books Signature® Auction #6323 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2025
15th
Monday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 1
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