1921-1996

Scottish chemist who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work on organo-metallic compounds. Wilkinson originally studied nuclear chemistry under the tutelage of Glenn Seaborg, changing to the study of metallic and organo-metallic compounds in the 1950s. Concentrating primarily on the transition metals, his work led to a better understanding of metal catalysts that has benefited the field of catalytic reactions, such as the hydrocarbon industry.