Hans Freeman
Encyclopedia
Hans Charles Freeman, AM
, FAA
, (May 26, 1929 – November 9, 2008) was a German-born Australian bioinorganic chemist
, protein crystallographer, and Professor
of Inorganic Chemistry
who spent most of his career at the University of Sydney
. His best known contributions to chemistry
were his work explaining the unusual structural
, electrochemical
, and spectroscopic
properties of blue copper proteins
, particularly plastocyanin
. He also introduced protein crystallography to Australia and was a strong advocate for programs to ensure Australian scientists have good access to "big science"
facilities. Freeman has received numerous honours, including being elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science
(FAA) and appointed a Member of the Order of Australia
(AM) by the Australian Government. He was a charismatic lecturer who voluntarily continued teaching well into his formal retirement and imbued his students with a love of science.
s (a novelty in Australia at the time) to his new homeland, applying it to the problem of cleaning blood-stained blankets that would otherwise be wasted. After the war, he founded K. H. Freeman Pty Ltd, a detergent and soap manufacturing company; Hans spent many weekends working in the factory, gaining a practical insight into chemistry.
Hans adapted well to his new environment, quickly mastering his new language and demonstrating his outstanding scholastic ability. He was dux of his primary school, dux of Sydney Boys High, and took his Bachelor's degree
with the university medal in chemistry in 1949. He was one of the ten chemistry students in his class at Sydney Boys High to go on to become Professors of Chemistry. After receiving his MSc
in 1952 under the supervision of Raymond Le Fevre FRS, Freeman attended Caltech
on a Rotary Foundation
Fellowship where, at the urging of Linus Pauling
, he learned the fundamentals of crystallography
. He received a PhD
in 1957 for his work on the structure of biuret hydrate
, where he completed most of the calculations for the crystal structure by hand.
in 1954 as a Lecturer, working his way up until he was made the inaugural Professor of Inorganic Chemistry in 1971. Freeman pioneered the use of computers in crystallography in Australia, working on SILLIAC
(the Australian cousin of the University of Illinois
' ILLIAC
machine and Australia's second computer) after its installation in 1956. His research group extended its interests beyond purely organic compound
s and on to metal complexes (such as copper biuret, one of the first bioinorganic substances to be structurally determined) and went on to determine the structures of numerous metal complexes of amino acid
s and peptide
s.
In 1970, the focus of Freeman's research became protein crystallography and he turned his attention to the blue copper proteins
(cupredoxins) and particularly the electron transport protein plastocyanin
. The intensely blue colour of plastocyanin and its unusual redox
properties had frustrated all attempts to synthesise a small molecule mimic. It was not until 1977 that his group finally determined the structure of plastocyanin crystallised from the poplar tree (see diagram at right); this was the first protein crystal structure determined in the southern hemisphere
. Together with subsequent work in collaboration with Ed Solomon
, this work led to understanding of the unusual geometry of the copper metal site (see diagram at left) as well as the spectroscopic
and electrochemical
properties characteristic of blue copper proteins.
Later in his career, Freeman developed an interest in the applications of EXAFS
spectroscopy to metalloprotein structure, collaborating with both James Penner-Hahn and Keith Hodgson
. Working together, the Freeman and Hodgson groups were, in 1988, the first to determine a new crystal structure of a protein using the multiple wavelength anomalous dispersion (MAD) method
.
Throughout his career, Freeman was concerned about the influence of the tyranny of distance on the development of Australian science. For this reason, in 1972 Freeman and Alexander Boden AO
, FAA, founded the Foundation for Inorganic Chemistry at the university to bring international scholars to the department to deliver a course for graduate students and give seminars for faculty. The inaugural Foundation scholar was nobel laureate Linus Pauling
and the Foundation has brought many other eminent research chemists to Australia. The Foundation has thus functioned to increase Australian awareness of state of the art international research, increased international recognition of Australian research, and allowed graduate students to interact with leading chemists based in institutions far from Australia. Many of the students have gone on to post-graduate
or post-doctoral positions with a Foundation scholar.
Freeman also provided advice to the Australian Government
on the problem of access to "big science
" facilities. This included making major contributions to the report Small Country - Big Science in his work for the Australian Science and Technology Council
. The report emphasised the need for Australian researchers to have access to facilities such as synchrotron
X-ray and high intensity neutron source
s, and led directly to the formation of the Australian Synchroton Research Programme (ASRP) to fund access to such facilities. Freeman served as a board member of the ASRP until its functions were subsumed under the newly-commissioned Australian Synchrotron
in 2008. The Australian expertise developed as a consequence of ASRP-supported research led to the Australian Synchroton being built a decade sooner than would have otherwise been the case.
Freeman retired from his Chair in 1997, and was succeeded by Len Lindoy
FAA. Nevertheless, he continued working in research and became Emeritus Professor of Chemistry and Emeritus Professor of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences. He also voluntarily continued teaching at first-year level. His lecturing was described as "charismatic" and "teaching was a love and a privilege and never an obligation" for him.
as a discipline in Australia. He founded the first protein crystallography laboratory in Australia; today, there are more than 15 active research groups carrying out protein crystallography in Australia and New Zealand. Many former members of the Freeman research group have moved on to join one of these other groups. The groups interact through the Society of Crystallographers of Australia and New Zealand (SCANZ); Freeman was the Foundation President of then Society of Crystallographers of Australia, an organisation he was instrumental in forming in 1976. Working as a crystallographer, Freeman's major legacies are the understanding of plastocyanin and other blue copper proteins, and development of the MAD method as an extension of EXAFS spectroscopy. Freeman's work in ensuring Australian scientists have access to "big science" facilities will continue to assist researchers into the future. His teaching also leaves a legacy of "generations of students imbued with a love of science".
(RACI) in 1968, the Royal Society of Chemistry
in 1984, and the Australian Academy of Science
in 1984. Freeman's contributions were also recognised by the Australian Government
with a Centenary Medal
in 2001 for "service to Australian society and science in chemistry" and with his appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia
in June 2005 for "service to science and scientific research in the field of bio-inorganic chemistry, particularly through the establishment and development of the discipline of crystallography in Australia".
Freeman received numerous awards over his long career. In 1980, Freeman received the Burrows Award, the premier award of the Inorganic Chemistry Division of the RACI. He was also awarded the 1999 Leighton Memorial Medal which is "the RACI's most prestigious medal and is awarded in recognition of eminent services to chemistry in Australia in the broadest sense." In 2007, he received both the Australian Academy of Science's Craig Medal and an RACI Distinguished Fellowship.
data as at 4 February 2011:
--- 685 citations --- 624 citations --- 374 citations --- 241 citations --- 202 citations
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
, FAA
Australian Academy of Science
The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The Academy is modelled after the Royal Society and operates under a Royal Charter; as such it is...
, (May 26, 1929 – November 9, 2008) was a German-born Australian bioinorganic chemist
Bioinorganic chemistry
Bioinorganic chemistry is a field that examines the role of metals in biology. Bioinorganic chemistry includes the study of both natural phenomena such as the behavior of metalloproteins as well artificially introduced metals, including those that are non-essential, in medicine and toxicology...
, protein crystallographer, and Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Inorganic Chemistry
Inorganic chemistry
Inorganic chemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the properties and behavior of inorganic compounds. This field covers all chemical compounds except the myriad organic compounds , which are the subjects of organic chemistry...
who spent most of his career at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
. His best known contributions to chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
were his work explaining the unusual structural
Chemical structure
A chemical structure includes molecular geometry, electronic structure and crystal structure of molecules. Molecular geometry refers to the spatial arrangement of atoms in a molecule and the chemical bonds that hold the atoms together. Molecular geometry can range from the very simple, such as...
, electrochemical
Electrochemistry
Electrochemistry is a branch of chemistry that studies chemical reactions which take place in a solution at the interface of an electron conductor and an ionic conductor , and which involve electron transfer between the electrode and the electrolyte or species in solution.If a chemical reaction is...
, and spectroscopic
Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy. Historically, spectroscopy originated through the study of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g., by a prism. Later the concept was expanded greatly to comprise any interaction with radiative...
properties of blue copper proteins
Copper proteins
Copper proteins are proteins that contain one or more copper ions as prosthetic groups. The metal centres in the copper proteins can be classified into several types:...
, particularly plastocyanin
Plastocyanin
Plastocyanin is an important copper-containing protein involved in electron-transfer. The protein is monomeric, with a molecular weight around 10,500 Daltons, and 99 amino acids in most vascular plants...
. He also introduced protein crystallography to Australia and was a strong advocate for programs to ensure Australian scientists have good access to "big science"
Big Science
Big Science is a term used by scientists and historians of science to describe a series of changes in science which occurred in industrial nations during and after World War II, as scientific progress increasingly came to rely on large-scale projects usually funded by national governments or groups...
facilities. Freeman has received numerous honours, including being elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science
Australian Academy of Science
The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The Academy is modelled after the Royal Society and operates under a Royal Charter; as such it is...
(FAA) and appointed a Member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(AM) by the Australian Government. He was a charismatic lecturer who voluntarily continued teaching well into his formal retirement and imbued his students with a love of science.
Early years and education
Hans Charles Freeman was born in Breslau in Germany in 1929, the first and only son of Karl and Lotte Freeman. In 1938, following a tip-off from a Nazi party member, Karl decided to relocate his Jewish family to Australia. Karl brought his knowledge of detergentDetergent
A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with "cleaning properties in dilute solutions." In common usage, "detergent" refers to alkylbenzenesulfonates, a family of compounds that are similar to soap but are less affected by hard water...
s (a novelty in Australia at the time) to his new homeland, applying it to the problem of cleaning blood-stained blankets that would otherwise be wasted. After the war, he founded K. H. Freeman Pty Ltd, a detergent and soap manufacturing company; Hans spent many weekends working in the factory, gaining a practical insight into chemistry.
Hans adapted well to his new environment, quickly mastering his new language and demonstrating his outstanding scholastic ability. He was dux of his primary school, dux of Sydney Boys High, and took his Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
with the university medal in chemistry in 1949. He was one of the ten chemistry students in his class at Sydney Boys High to go on to become Professors of Chemistry. After receiving his MSc
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in 1952 under the supervision of Raymond Le Fevre FRS, Freeman attended Caltech
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
on a Rotary Foundation
Rotary Foundation
The Rotary Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs...
Fellowship where, at the urging of Linus Pauling
Linus Pauling
Linus Carl Pauling was an American chemist, biochemist, peace activist, author, and educator. He was one of the most influential chemists in history and ranks among the most important scientists of the 20th century...
, he learned the fundamentals of crystallography
Crystallography
Crystallography is the experimental science of the arrangement of atoms in solids. The word "crystallography" derives from the Greek words crystallon = cold drop / frozen drop, with its meaning extending to all solids with some degree of transparency, and grapho = write.Before the development of...
. He received a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1957 for his work on the structure of biuret hydrate
Biuret
Biuret is a chemical compound with the chemical formula H2NCNHCNH2. It is the result of condensation of two molecules of urea and is a problematic impurity in urea-based fertilizers. This white solid is soluble in hot water....
, where he completed most of the calculations for the crystal structure by hand.
Personal life
Freeman came to Australia with his parents and his sister, Eva. Following the death of his father in 1958, he became a Director of K. H. Freeman Pty Ltd, which continues to operate today. He met Edith Siou in 1964 and they married in 1966. They have two children, Maeva and Philip.Career
Freeman was appointed to the faculty of the University of SydneyUniversity of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
in 1954 as a Lecturer, working his way up until he was made the inaugural Professor of Inorganic Chemistry in 1971. Freeman pioneered the use of computers in crystallography in Australia, working on SILLIAC
SILLIAC
The SILLIAC , an early computer built by the University of Sydney, Australia, was based on the ILLIAC and ORDVAC computers developed at the University of Illinois, which in turn were based on the IAS architecture developed by John von Neumann.SILLIAC had its genesis in...
(the Australian cousin of the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
' ILLIAC
ILLIAC
ILLIAC was a series of supercomputers built at a variety of locations, some at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In all, five computers were built in this series between 1951 and 1974...
machine and Australia's second computer) after its installation in 1956. His research group extended its interests beyond purely organic compound
Organic compound
An organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of carbon-containing compounds such as carbides, carbonates, simple oxides of carbon, and cyanides, as well as the...
s and on to metal complexes (such as copper biuret, one of the first bioinorganic substances to be structurally determined) and went on to determine the structures of numerous metal complexes of amino acid
Amino acid
Amino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side-chain that varies between different amino acids. The key elements of an amino acid are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen...
s and peptide
Peptide
Peptides are short polymers of amino acid monomers linked by peptide bonds. They are distinguished from proteins on the basis of size, typically containing less than 50 monomer units. The shortest peptides are dipeptides, consisting of two amino acids joined by a single peptide bond...
s.
In 1970, the focus of Freeman's research became protein crystallography and he turned his attention to the blue copper proteins
Copper proteins
Copper proteins are proteins that contain one or more copper ions as prosthetic groups. The metal centres in the copper proteins can be classified into several types:...
(cupredoxins) and particularly the electron transport protein plastocyanin
Plastocyanin
Plastocyanin is an important copper-containing protein involved in electron-transfer. The protein is monomeric, with a molecular weight around 10,500 Daltons, and 99 amino acids in most vascular plants...
. The intensely blue colour of plastocyanin and its unusual redox
Redox
Redox reactions describe all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation state changed....
properties had frustrated all attempts to synthesise a small molecule mimic. It was not until 1977 that his group finally determined the structure of plastocyanin crystallised from the poplar tree (see diagram at right); this was the first protein crystal structure determined in the southern hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
. Together with subsequent work in collaboration with Ed Solomon
Edward I. Solomon
Professor Edward I. Solomon is the current Monroe E. Spaght Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University. He is an elected member of the United States National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts...
, this work led to understanding of the unusual geometry of the copper metal site (see diagram at left) as well as the spectroscopic
Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy. Historically, spectroscopy originated through the study of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g., by a prism. Later the concept was expanded greatly to comprise any interaction with radiative...
and electrochemical
Electrochemistry
Electrochemistry is a branch of chemistry that studies chemical reactions which take place in a solution at the interface of an electron conductor and an ionic conductor , and which involve electron transfer between the electrode and the electrolyte or species in solution.If a chemical reaction is...
properties characteristic of blue copper proteins.
Later in his career, Freeman developed an interest in the applications of EXAFS
Extended X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure
X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy includes both Extended X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure and X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure . XAS is the measurement of the x-ray absorption coefficient of a material as a function of energy...
spectroscopy to metalloprotein structure, collaborating with both James Penner-Hahn and Keith Hodgson
Keith Hodgson
Keith O. Hodgson is a Professor of Chemistry at Stanford university and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource. He received his B.S. in 1969 from the University of Virginia and his Ph.D. in 1972 from University of California at Berkeley....
. Working together, the Freeman and Hodgson groups were, in 1988, the first to determine a new crystal structure of a protein using the multiple wavelength anomalous dispersion (MAD) method
Multi-wavelength anomalous dispersion
Multi-wavelength anomalous diffraction is a technique used in X-ray crystallography that facilitates the determination of the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules via solution of the phase problem...
.
Throughout his career, Freeman was concerned about the influence of the tyranny of distance on the development of Australian science. For this reason, in 1972 Freeman and Alexander Boden AO
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
, FAA, founded the Foundation for Inorganic Chemistry at the university to bring international scholars to the department to deliver a course for graduate students and give seminars for faculty. The inaugural Foundation scholar was nobel laureate Linus Pauling
Linus Pauling
Linus Carl Pauling was an American chemist, biochemist, peace activist, author, and educator. He was one of the most influential chemists in history and ranks among the most important scientists of the 20th century...
and the Foundation has brought many other eminent research chemists to Australia. The Foundation has thus functioned to increase Australian awareness of state of the art international research, increased international recognition of Australian research, and allowed graduate students to interact with leading chemists based in institutions far from Australia. Many of the students have gone on to post-graduate
Postgraduate education
Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...
or post-doctoral positions with a Foundation scholar.
Freeman also provided advice to the Australian Government
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
on the problem of access to "big science
Big Science
Big Science is a term used by scientists and historians of science to describe a series of changes in science which occurred in industrial nations during and after World War II, as scientific progress increasingly came to rely on large-scale projects usually funded by national governments or groups...
" facilities. This included making major contributions to the report Small Country - Big Science in his work for the Australian Science and Technology Council
Australian Science, Technology and Engineering Council
The Australian Science, Technology and Engineering Council was an Australian government agency. ASTEC was established in April 1977 as the Australian Science and Technology Council to advise the Australian government on matters relating to science and technology.The council was composed of leading...
. The report emphasised the need for Australian researchers to have access to facilities such as synchrotron
Synchrotron
A synchrotron is a particular type of cyclic particle accelerator in which the magnetic field and the electric field are carefully synchronised with the travelling particle beam. The proton synchrotron was originally conceived by Sir Marcus Oliphant...
X-ray and high intensity neutron source
Neutron source
A Neutron source is a device that emits neutrons. There is a wide variety of different sources, ranging from hand-held radioactive sources to neutron research facilities operating research reactors and spallation sources...
s, and led directly to the formation of the Australian Synchroton Research Programme (ASRP) to fund access to such facilities. Freeman served as a board member of the ASRP until its functions were subsumed under the newly-commissioned Australian Synchrotron
Australian Synchrotron
The Australian Synchrotron is a 3 GeV synchrotron radiation facility built in Melbourne, Victoria and opened on 31 July 2007.The circular building was designed by Architectus in conjunction with Thiess, while the lattice design was performed substantially by Professor John Boldeman.The Synchrotron...
in 2008. The Australian expertise developed as a consequence of ASRP-supported research led to the Australian Synchroton being built a decade sooner than would have otherwise been the case.
Freeman retired from his Chair in 1997, and was succeeded by Len Lindoy
Leonard Francis Lindoy
Leonard Francis Lindoy, FAA, is an Australian chemist, with interests in macrocyclic chemistry and metallo-supramolecular chemistry, and an Emeritus Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Sydney and James Cook University. He moved to the University of Sydney in 1996 to take up the...
FAA. Nevertheless, he continued working in research and became Emeritus Professor of Chemistry and Emeritus Professor of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences. He also voluntarily continued teaching at first-year level. His lecturing was described as "charismatic" and "teaching was a love and a privilege and never an obligation" for him.
Legacy
Freeman was principally responsible for the establishment of structural biologyStructural biology
Structural biology is a branch of molecular biology, biochemistry, and biophysics concerned with the molecular structure of biological macromolecules, especially proteins and nucleic acids, how they acquire the structures they have, and how alterations in their structures affect their function...
as a discipline in Australia. He founded the first protein crystallography laboratory in Australia; today, there are more than 15 active research groups carrying out protein crystallography in Australia and New Zealand. Many former members of the Freeman research group have moved on to join one of these other groups. The groups interact through the Society of Crystallographers of Australia and New Zealand (SCANZ); Freeman was the Foundation President of then Society of Crystallographers of Australia, an organisation he was instrumental in forming in 1976. Working as a crystallographer, Freeman's major legacies are the understanding of plastocyanin and other blue copper proteins, and development of the MAD method as an extension of EXAFS spectroscopy. Freeman's work in ensuring Australian scientists have access to "big science" facilities will continue to assist researchers into the future. His teaching also leaves a legacy of "generations of students imbued with a love of science".
Honours and awards
Freeman was recognised for his professional achievements with Fellowships in the Royal Australian Chemical InstituteRoyal Australian Chemical Institute
The Royal Australian Chemical Institute Inc. is both the qualifying body in Australia for professional chemists and a learned society promoting the science and practice of chemistry in all its branches. The RACI hosts conferences, seminars and workshops...
(RACI) in 1968, the Royal Society of Chemistry
Royal Society of Chemistry
The Royal Society of Chemistry is a learned society in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences." It was formed in 1980 from the merger of the Chemical Society, the Royal Institute of Chemistry, the Faraday Society and the Society for Analytical Chemistry with a new...
in 1984, and the Australian Academy of Science
Australian Academy of Science
The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The Academy is modelled after the Royal Society and operates under a Royal Charter; as such it is...
in 1984. Freeman's contributions were also recognised by the Australian Government
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
with a Centenary Medal
Centenary Medal
The Centenary Medal is an award created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the Centenary of Federation of Australia and to honour people who have made a contribution to Australian society or government...
in 2001 for "service to Australian society and science in chemistry" and with his appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
in June 2005 for "service to science and scientific research in the field of bio-inorganic chemistry, particularly through the establishment and development of the discipline of crystallography in Australia".
Freeman received numerous awards over his long career. In 1980, Freeman received the Burrows Award, the premier award of the Inorganic Chemistry Division of the RACI. He was also awarded the 1999 Leighton Memorial Medal which is "the RACI's most prestigious medal and is awarded in recognition of eminent services to chemistry in Australia in the broadest sense." In 2007, he received both the Australian Academy of Science's Craig Medal and an RACI Distinguished Fellowship.
Most cited publications
The number of citations indicated for each of the following papers are from Web of ScienceWeb of Science
ISI Web of Knowledge is an academic citation indexing and search service, which is combined with web linking and provided by Thomson Reuters. Web of Knowledge coverage encompasses the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities. It provides bibliographic content and the tools to access, analyze,...
data as at 4 February 2011:
--- 685 citations --- 624 citations --- 374 citations --- 241 citations --- 202 citations