Vincenzo Balzani
Encyclopedia
Vincenzo Balzani is an Italian chemist
, now emeritus
professor at the University of Bologna
.
, becoming full professor in 1973. He has been visiting professor at several universities. He was the director of the Photochemistry and Radiation Chemistry Institute of the National Research Council from 1977 to 1988. He has been appointed emeritus professor on November 1, 2010.
, Supramolecular chemistry
. He was chairman of the PhD course on Chemical Sciences from 2002 to 2007 and of the “laurea specialistica” in Photochemistry and Material Chemistry from 2004 to 2007. In the Academic Year 2008-2009 he founded at the University of Bologna an interdisciplinary course on Science and Society.
, photophysics, supramolecular chemistry
, electron transfer
reactions, molecular-level devices and machines, nanotechnology
, photochemical solar energy conversion. His scientific activity is documented by more than 600 papers, mostly published on qualified journals. He has been invited to give lectures at a great number of national and international meetings, and seminars at many Universities and Research Centers around the world. For several years he has been one of the 100 most cited chemists of the world, with H index
84.
He is also the author of several scientific books, including:
, Small
and ChemSusChem).
; Royal Society of Chemistry
; European Academy of Sciences
; Academia Europaea
; Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei; Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei XL; Accademia delle Scienze di Torino; Società Nazionale di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti in Napoli; Accademia delle Scienze di Bologna.
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
, now emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
professor at the University of Bologna
University of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
.
Career
He has spent most of his professional life at the “Giacomo Ciamician” Department of Chemistry of the University of BolognaUniversity of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
, becoming full professor in 1973. He has been visiting professor at several universities. He was the director of the Photochemistry and Radiation Chemistry Institute of the National Research Council from 1977 to 1988. He has been appointed emeritus professor on November 1, 2010.
Teaching activity
He taught courses on General and Inorganic Chemistry, PhotochemistryPhotochemistry
Photochemistry, a sub-discipline of chemistry, is the study of chemical reactions that proceed with the absorption of light by atoms or molecules.. Everyday examples include photosynthesis, the degradation of plastics and the formation of vitamin D with sunlight.-Principles:Light is a type of...
, Supramolecular chemistry
Supramolecular chemistry
Supramolecular chemistry refers to the area of chemistry beyond the molecules and focuses on the chemical systems made up of a discrete number of assembled molecular subunits or components...
. He was chairman of the PhD course on Chemical Sciences from 2002 to 2007 and of the “laurea specialistica” in Photochemistry and Material Chemistry from 2004 to 2007. In the Academic Year 2008-2009 he founded at the University of Bologna an interdisciplinary course on Science and Society.
Scientific activity
His research interests cover a wide range of topics: photochemistryPhotochemistry
Photochemistry, a sub-discipline of chemistry, is the study of chemical reactions that proceed with the absorption of light by atoms or molecules.. Everyday examples include photosynthesis, the degradation of plastics and the formation of vitamin D with sunlight.-Principles:Light is a type of...
, photophysics, supramolecular chemistry
Supramolecular chemistry
Supramolecular chemistry refers to the area of chemistry beyond the molecules and focuses on the chemical systems made up of a discrete number of assembled molecular subunits or components...
, electron transfer
Electron transfer
Electron transfer is the process by which an electron moves from an atom or a chemical species to another atom or chemical species...
reactions, molecular-level devices and machines, nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
, photochemical solar energy conversion. His scientific activity is documented by more than 600 papers, mostly published on qualified journals. He has been invited to give lectures at a great number of national and international meetings, and seminars at many Universities and Research Centers around the world. For several years he has been one of the 100 most cited chemists of the world, with H index
H-index
The h-index is an index that attempts to measure both the productivity and impact of the published work of a scientist or scholar. The index is based on the set of the scientist's most cited papers and the number of citations that they have received in other publications...
84.
He is also the author of several scientific books, including:
- Photochemistry of Coordination Compounds, Academic Press, London, 1970 (with V. Carassiti).
- Supramolecular Photochemistry, Horwood, Chichester, 1991 (with F. Scandola).
- Molecular Devices and Machines. A Journey into the Nano World, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2003 (with A. Credi and M. Venturi), translated in Chinese and Japanese.
- Molecular Devices and Machines. Concepts and Perspectives for the Nanoworld, VCH-Wiley, Weinheim, 2008 (with A. Credi and M. Venturi), translated in Chinese.
- Energy for a Sustainable World – From the Oil Age to a Sun-Powered Future, Wiley-VCH, 2011 (with N. Armaroli).
Public education activity
He believes that scientists have a great responsibility that comes from knowledge, so that it is their duty to educate citizens and help decision makers to find solution for mankind's problems. Therefore he places side by side scientific research and education on various themes including chemistry, science and society, science and peace, and particularly the energy problem. His book Energia per l’Astronave Terra (Zanichelli, 2008, with N. Armaroli) received the 2009 Galileo prize for scientific education. In 2011 he has received the Città di Sasso Marconi prize for public education on the theme of energy.Other activities
He was chairman of the Gruppo Italiano di Fotochimica (1982–1986) and European Photochemistry Association (1988–92). He is honorary chairman of the International Symposium on "Photochemistry and Photophysics of Coordination Compounds". He is a member of the Editorial Board of several international journals (currently: Chemistry: A European Journal, ChemPhysChemChemPhysChem
ChemPhysChem is a scientific journal published by John Wiley & Sons since 2000. The journal covers physical chemistry.-External links:*...
, Small
Small (journal)
Small is a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal published twenty-four times a year. Small publishes research in science and technology on the micro- and nanoscales in the form of Communications, Reviews, Concepts, Highlights, Essays, and Full Papers. The journal was co-founded by Chad Mirkin and...
and ChemSusChem).
Associations and academies
He is a member of: American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for 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...
; European Academy of Sciences
European Academy of Sciences
The European Academy of Sciences has as mission to promote excellence in science and technology and their essential roles in fostering social and economic development and progress. It is registered in and operates under rules and regulations of Belgium. The European Academy of Sciences is an...
; Academia Europaea
Academia Europaea
Academia Europæa is a European non-governmental scientific academy founded in 1988. Its members are scientists and scholars who collectively aim to promote learning, education and research. It publishes European Review through Cambridge Journals....
; Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei; Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei XL; Accademia delle Scienze di Torino; Società Nazionale di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti in Napoli; Accademia delle Scienze di Bologna.
Honors and awards
Pacific West Coast Inorganic Lectureship, USA and Canada, 1985; Gold Medal "S. Cannizzaro", Italian Chemical Society, 1988; Doctorate "Honoris Causa", University of Fribourg (CH), 1989; Accademia dei Lincei Award in Chemistry, Italy, 1992; Ziegler-Natta Lecturer, Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker, Germany, 1994; Italgas European Prize for Research and Innovation, 1994; Centenary Lecturer, The Royal Chemical Society (U.K.), 1995; Porter Medal for Photochemistry, 2000; Prix Franco-Italien de la Société Française de Chimie, 2002; Grande Ufficiale dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, 2006; Quilico Gold Metal, Organic Division, Italian Chemical Society, 2008; Honor Professor, East China University of Science and Technology of Shanghai, 2009; Blaise Pascal Medal, European Academy of Sciences, 2009; Rotary Club Galileo International Prize for scientific research, 2011.External links
. Accessed 2011-01-24.- http://www.unibo.it/SitoWebDocente/default.htm?UPN=vincenzo.balzani%40unibo.it. Homepage at the University of BolognaUniversity of BolognaThe Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
. Accessed 2011-07-19.