Tolman named editor-in-chief of Inorganic Chemistry

Professor William Tolman, chair of the Department of Chemistry, has been named editor-in-chief of Inorganic Chemistry, effective January 2013. He has been associate editor of this American Chemical Society publication since 2007.

Tolman succeeds Professor Richard Eisenberg from the University of Rochester, who has served as the journal’s editor since 2001.

Current research in the Tolman group encompasses synthetic bioinorganic and organometallic/polymer chemistry. In the bioinorganic area, the objective is to gain a fundamental structural, spectroscopic, and mechanistic understanding of metalloprotein active sites of biological and environmental importance via the synthesis, characterization, and examination of the reactivity of model complexes. The current goal of Tolman's research in the organometallic/polymer area is to synthesize and characterize a variety of metal complexes for use as catalysts for the polymerization of cyclic esters. Particular emphasis is on developing and understanding the mechanism(s) of processes for the controlled synthesis of polymers derived from renewable resources. He is a member of the university's Center for Metals in Biocatalysis and the Center for Sustainable polymers.

Tolman has received many awards for his research and his teaching. He is a fellow of the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is one of the university's Distinguished McKnight Professors and recently received the 2012 Charles E. Bowers Teaching Award from the College of Science & Engineering (CSE).

Tolman earned his doctorate in chemistry from University of California, Berkeley, and did postdoctorate research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota in 1990, has been chair of the Department of Chemistry since 2009.

“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Tolman in his new role as editor-in-chief,” says Susan King, senior vice president of the American Chemical Society’s journals publishing group, in an article published in Chemical & Engineering News, Monday, October 22, 2012. “Dr. Tolman’s broad perspective in the field, coupled with his drive for innovation, will ensure the journal continues to push new boundaries and meet the needs of the diverse inorganic chemistry community.”

Read the C&EN article about this appointment at http://cen.acs.org/articles/90/web/2012/10/William-Tolman-Become-Editor-Inorganic.html.