Fred W. McLafferty

(1923)
Cornell University

Notable Achievements:

A mass spectrometry pioneer in:

• gaseous ion reactions (the McLafferty rearrangement)
• instrumentation (GC/MS, LC/MS, MS/MS)
• techniques (collisionally activated dissociation, neutralization-reionization, electron capture dissociation, IR photodissociation spectroscopy)
• computer data acquisition, reduction, and identification (Probability Based Matching)
• reference data (600K spectra)
• high resolution MS/MS characterization of biomolecules and gas-phase protein conformers

Biographical Sketch

• Born 1923
• Received Bachelor's of Science degree, University of Nebraska, 1943
• Received US Army, Purple Heart, Combat Infantry Badge, 5 Bronze Star Medals for valor, Presidential Unit Citation, 1943
• Received Masters degree from University of Nebraska, 1947
• Received Ph.D. from Cornell University, 1947
• Post-doctoral work at the University of Iowa, 1947
• Director of Eastern Research Lab., Dow Chemical Co., 1950 - 1956
• Moved to Purdue University, 1964
• Moved to Cornell University (Peter J.W. Debye, Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus), 1968

Academic Appointments

• Honorary member of the Italian Chemical Society, 1981
• Member of the National Academy of Sciences, 1982
• Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1985
• Editor, ACS "Accounts of Chemical Research"
  Chair, ACS Analytical Chemistry Division and of its Midland and Northeastern Sections. Advisory Boards include: MS Research Facilities at Univ. of Naples (EEC, Chair), Rockefeller U., Wash. U., Boston U., Utrecht U., Cal Tech, and UCLA; Chem. Dept., Brookhaven Natl. Lab (Chair); Chem. Sect., AAAS (Chair); World Bank-Chinese Univ. Devel. Project, 3rd World Acad. Sci., ACS Petroleum Res. Fund, NSF EPSCoR (Idaho); journals Anal. Chem., Acc. Chem. Res., Chem. Revs., ACS Adv. Chem. Ser., Org. Mass Spectrom., Appl. Spectr. Rev., Handbook Spectral Data, Computers and Chem., Kolthoff-Elving Anal. Chem. Series, Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis, Mass Spectr. Rev., Computer Enhanced Spectr., J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom., J. Mass Spectrom.; and consultant to Dow Chemical, Perkin-Elmer, Hitachi, Varian, Finnigan, Universal Monitor, McDonnell-Douglas, Waters, Hewlett-Packard, Nicolet, and Extrel, 1986 - 1994
• Member of the Italian National Academy of Sciences XL, 2002
• Member of the National Research Council's Boards on Radioactive Waste Management, 2002
• Member of the Numerical Data, and Chemical Scientists and Technicians, 2002
• Member of the Panels on Separations Techn. Transmutation System, Army Chem. Sci., 2002
• Member of the Chem. Defense, and Pimentel Comm. that prepared "Opportunities in Chemistry", 2002

Honors

• American Chemical Society Awards in Chemical Instrumentation, 1972
• Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh Award, 1975
• Fisher Award, Analytical Chemistry, 1981
• Honorary Doctorate of Science degree, University of Nebraska, 1983
• Nichols Gold Medal (New York ACS Sect.), 1984
• Oesper Award (Cincinnati ACS Sect.), 1985
• Anachem Award, 1985
• J.J. Thomson Gold Medal (Intern. Mass Spectrom. Soc.), 1985
• S.C. Lind Award (E. Tenn. ACS Sect.), 1986
• W.L. Evans Award, Ohio State University, 1987
• Pittsburgh Analytical Chemistry Award, 1987
• Honorary Doctorate of Science degree, Liege University, 1987
• Field and Franklin Award, Mass Spectrometry, 1989
• Gold Medal, University of Naples, 1989
• Robert Boyle Gold Medal (Royal Soc. Chem.), 1992
• Pioneer in Analytical Instrumentation, 1994
• Honorary Doctorate of Science degree, Purdue University, 1995
• Chemical Pioneer Award (Am. Inst. Chemists), 1996
• J.M. Bijvoet Medal, Utrecht University, 1997
• Jaroslav Heyrovsky´ Medal (Czech Acad. Sci.), 1999
• Giulio Natta Gold Medal (Italian Chem. Soc.), 2000
• Torbern Bergman Medal (Swedish Chem. Soc.), 2001
• Distinguished Contribution in Mass Spectrometry Award (Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom.), 2003
• Lavoisier Medal (French Chem. Soc.), 2004

     In addition to numerous other honors and memberships, Fred W. McLafferty has co-authored over 480 publications including the following: Mass Spectrometry of Organic Ions, 1963; Mass Spectral Correlations, 1963, 1982; Interpretation of Mass Spectra, 1966, 1973, 1980, 1993; Advanced Analytical Chemistry Instructions, 1966-1975; Atlas-, Archives-, Registry- and Important Peak Index of Mass Spectral Data, 1969, 1970-1973, 1974, 1982, 1989, 1991, 1994, 2000, 2004; Tandem Mass Spectrometry, 1983.

     Dr. and Mrs. McLafferty have five children and nine grandchildren. (January 2004)