Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

In memoriam: Peter Politzer: A life to be truly celebrated

  • Brief Report
  • Published:
Structural Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Peter Politzer (1937–2022) grew up with no doubt in his mind that he would pursue a career in chemistry. His research interests ranged from theoretical concepts such as electronegativity and chemical hardness to applications of electrostatic potentials and average local ionization energies to molecular interactive behavior and bonding, as well as to the study of chemical reactions and the reaction force in a variety of disciplines, including energetic materials. He will be remembered as a world-renowned leader in halogen bonding and other σ-hole bonding interactions and other areas of theoretical and computational chemistry, with over 520 research publications in scientific journals and books, leaving quite a legacy, with a marked tendency toward simplicity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

This paper does not require data availability.

References

  1. Bader RFW, Jones GA (1961) The Hellmann-Feynman theorem and chemical binding. Can J Chem 39:1253–1265

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Bader RFW, Jones GA (1963) The electron density distributions in hydride molecules. III, the hydrogen fluoride molecule, Can J Chem 41:2251–2264

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Bader RFW (1963) The forces operative in homonuclear diatomic molecules. Can J Chem 41:2303–2308

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Bader RFW, Jones GA (1963) The electron density distributions in hydride molecules. II, the ammonia molecule, J Chem Phys 38:2791–2802

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Hellmann H (1937) Einfűhrung in die Quantenchemie. Deuticke, Leipzig

    Google Scholar 

  6. Feynman RP (1939) Forces in molecules. Phys Rev 56:340–343

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Politzer P (1965) The electrostatic forces within the carbon monoxide molecule. J Phys Chem 69:2132–2134

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Politzer P, Murray JS (2018) The Hellmann-Feynman theorem – a perspective. J Mol Model 24:266

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Politzer P, Murray JS (2023) The conceptual power of the Hellmann-Feynman theorem. Struct Chem 34:17–21

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Politzer P, Daiker KC (1981) Models for chemical reactivity, In The force concept in chemistry, Deb BM (ed) Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1981, ch 6

  11. Politzer P, Truhlar DG (eds) (1981) Chemical applications of atomic and molecular electrostatic potentials. Plenum Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  12. Politzer P, Murray JS (2002) The fundamental nature and the role of the electrostatic potential in atoms and molecules. Theor Chem Acc 108:134–142

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Politzer P, Murray JS, Clark T (2015) Mathematical modeling and physical reality in noncovalent interactions. J Mol Model 21:52

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Murray JS, Politzer P (2017) Molecular electrostatic potentials and noncovalent interactions. WIREs Comput Mol Sci 7:e1326

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Clark T, Murray JS, Politzer P (2018) A perspective on quantum mechanics and chemical concepts in describing noncovalent interactions. Phys Chem Chem Phys 20:30076–30082

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Hehre WJ, Lathan WA, Ditchfield R, Newton MD, Pople JA (1970) Gaussian 70, Quantum Chemistry Program Exchange, Program No 237

  17. Sjöberg P, Politzer P (1990) The use of the electrostatic potential at the molecular surface to interpret and predict nucleophilic processes. J Phys Chem 94:3959–3961

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Sjöberg P, Murray JS, Brinck T, Evans P, Politzer P (1990) The use of the electrostatic potential at the molecular surface in recognition interactions: dibenzo-p-dioxins and related systems. J Mol Graphics 8:81–85

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Brinck T, Murray JS, Politzer P (1992) Surface electrostatic potentials of halogenated methanes as indicators of directional intermolecular interactions. Int J Quantum Chem, Quantum Biol Symp 44(S19):57–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Bulat FA, Toro-Labbé A, Brinck T, Murray JS, Politzer P (2010) Quantitative analysis of molecular surfaces: areas, volumes, electrostatic potentials and average local ionization energies. J Mol Model 16:1679–1691

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Sjöberg P, Murray JS, Brinck T, Politzer P (1990) Average local ionization energies on the molecular surfaces of aromatic systems as guides to chemical reactivity. Can J Chem 68:1440–1443

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Brinck T, Murray JS, Politzer P (1991) Relationships between the aqueous acidities of some carbon, oxygen and nitrogen acids and the calculated surface local ionization energies of their conjugate bases. J Org Chem 56:5012–5015

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Politzer P, Murray JS, Grice ME, Brinck T, Ranganathan S (1991) Radial behavior of the average local ionization energies of atoms. J Chem Phys 95:6699–6704

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Politzer P, Shields ZP-I, Bulat FA, Murray JS (2011) Average local ionization energies as a route to intrinsic atomic electronegativities. J Chem Theor Comp 7:2569–2574

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Politzer P (1987) A relationship between the charge capacity and chemical hardness of neutral atoms and groups. J Chem Phys 86:1072–1073

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Politzer P, Murray JS (2018) An Occam’s razor approach to chemical hardness: lex parsimoniae. J Mol Model 24:332

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Politzer P, Murray JS (2022) Electronegativity: a continuing enigma, J Phys Org Chem e4406

  28. Politzer P, Murray JS (2019) A look at bonds and bonding. Struct Chem 30:1153–1157

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Politzer P (1969) Anomalous properties of fluorine. J Am Chem Soc 91:6235–6237

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Dunitz JD (2004) Organic fluorine: odd man out. ChemBioChem 5:614–621

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Murray JS, Seybold PG, Politzer P (2021) The many faces of fluorine: some noncovalent interactions of fluorine compounda, J Chem Thermodyn 156:106382(1–11)

  32. Murray JS, Zilles BA, Jayasuriya K, Politzer P (1986) Comparative analysis of dibenzofuran and some dibenzo-p-dioxins. J Am Chem Soc 108:915–918

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Politzer P, Seminario JM (1990) Relative bond strengths in tetrahedrane, prismane and some their aza analogs. Struct Chem 1:29–32

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Politzer P, Lane P (1990) A computational study of some nitrofluoromethanes. Struct Chem 1:159–164

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Politzer P, Seminario JM (1990) Calculated structures, relative energies and electrostatic potentials of some tetraaza cyclic systems. Struct Chem 1:325–332

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This commemorative short sketch is dedicated to Peter Politzer, with many thanks to the gods who allowed us so many wonderful years together. JSM also thanks Professor Istvan Hargittai for his suggestions in the preparation of this “In Memoriam” paper for Professor Politzer.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of New, Orleans, New Orleans, LA, 70148, USA

    Jane S. Murray

Authors
  1. Jane S. Murray
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

J.S.M. prepared this "in memoriam" for Peter Politzer.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jane S. Murray.

Ethics declarations

Consent to publish figures

I am the sole owner of the photos in Figures 1, 3, and 4 that show human faces. I consent to the publication of these.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Murray, J.S. In memoriam: Peter Politzer: A life to be truly celebrated. Struct Chem 35, 1335–1340 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11224-024-02339-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11224-024-02339-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation