Henry Taube

Henry Taube (1915–2005) was a Canadian-American chemist whose studies of electron transfer in coordination compounds earned him the 1983 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

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Coordination complex: A structure in which a central metal atom or ion is bonded to surrounding molecules or ions called ligands. These compounds supplied the molecular systems Taube used to investigate electron-transfer reactions.
Marcus theory: A theory that relates electron-transfer rates to the free-energy change and nuclear reorganization of reactants. It offers a complementary account of electron-transfer rates, especially for outer-sphere reactions.
Alfred Werner: A Swiss chemist who developed the modern theory of coordination compounds and received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Werner’s structural framework underlies the coordination chemistry Taube used to interpret reactions.
Cobalt(III)–chromium(II) reaction: A reaction between cobalt(III) and chromium(II) complexes used to study ligand-bridged electron transfer. Taube used this reaction to demonstrate electron transfer through a ligand bridge.
Ligand: An atom, ion, or molecule that donates an electron pair to a central metal atom or ion. Ligand structure became a key clue in Taube’s comparisons of electron-transfer rates.
Bridged electron transfer: Electron transfer between two centers facilitated by a ligand or molecular bridge connecting them. Taube’s mechanistic work established how a bridge can carry electrons between metal centers.
Rudolph A. Marcus: A Canadian-American chemist who formulated a theory explaining rates of electron-transfer reactions. Marcus and Taube developed influential, complementary explanations of electron transfer.
Hexaamminecobalt(III): The octahedral cobalt(III) complex with six ammonia ligands, [Co(NH₃)₆]³⁺. Cobalt ammine complexes featured in Taube’s studies of substitution and electron-transfer reactions.
Oxidation state: A formal charge assigned to an atom by treating its bonds as ionic. Electron transfer changes the oxidation states of the metal centers Taube studied.
Reorganization energy: The energy required to rearrange nuclear positions and solvent around reactants before electron transfer. It helps explain why structural changes influence the rates Taube measured.