Harry B. Gray

Harry Barkus Gray
Harry B. Gray, 2013
Born	November 14, 1935 Woodburn, Kentucky, U.S.A.
Residence	U.S.A.
Nationality	American
Fields	Chemistry
Institutions	Columbia University California Institute of Technology
Alma mater	Western Kentucky University (B.S.) (1957)[1] Northwestern University (Ph.D) (1960)[1] Northwestern University (D.Sc.)[1]
Doctoral advisor	Fred Basolo Ralph Pearson
Doctoral students	Daniel G. Nocera, Holden Thorp, Jay R. Winkler, Mark S. Wrighton, Jillan L. Dempsey
Other notable students	Nathan Lewis
Known for	Bioinorganic Chemistry Electron Transfer chemistry Photochemistry
Notable awards	ACS Award in Pure Chemistry (1970) Tolman Award (1979) National Medal of Science (1986) AIC Gold Medal (1990) Priestley Medal (1991) Harvey Prize (2000) Wolf Prize in Chemistry (2004) Welch Award (2009) Othmer Gold Medal (2013)

External video

Harry Gray discusses How Arnold O. Beckman's Instrumental Voice Shaped Chemistry's History, and the Beckman Institute at Caltech; Profiles in Chemistry, Chemical Heritage Foundation

Harry Barkus Gray (born 14 November 1935 in Woodburn, Kentucky, U.S.A.) is the Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry at California Institute of Technology.^[2]

Career

Gray received his B.S. in Chemistry from Western Kentucky University in 1957. He began his work in inorganic chemistry at Northwestern University, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1960 working under Fred Basolo and Ralph Pearson. He was initiated into the Upsilon chapter of Alpha Chi Sigma at Northwestern University in 1958.^[3] After that, he spent a year (1960–61) as an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Copenhagen, where, along with Dr. Walter A. Manch, he collaborated with Carl J. Ballhausen on studies of the electronic structures of metal complexes.

After completing his NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Copenhagen, he went to New York to take up a faculty appointment at Columbia University. He became an assistant professor from 1961 to 1963, associate professor from 1963 to 1965 and professor from 1965 to 1966.

In 1966, he moved to the California Institute of Technology, where he is the Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry and founding director of the Beckman Institute.

Research

Gray's interdisciplinary research program addresses a wide range of fundamental problems in inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, and biophysics. Electron transfer (ET) chemistry is a unifying theme for much of this research.

Over the past twenty-five years the Gray group has been measuring the kinetics of long-range ET reactions in metalloproteins labeled with inorganic redox reagents. Early research by his lab members showed that details of the internal structures of the proteins dominate the ET rates.^[4] Current research is aimed at understanding how intermediate protein radicals accelerate long-range ET. In collaboration with Jay R. Winkler of the Beckman Institute at Caltech they have developed new techniques for measuring ET rates in crystals of Ru-, Os-, and Re-modified azurins, as well as crystals of Fe(III)-cytochrome c doped with Zn(II)-cytochrome c. This method of integrating photosensitizers into protein crystals has provided a powerful new tool for studying biochemical reaction dynamics. The Gray/Winkler group is also using ET chemistry to probe the dynamics of protein folding in cytochrome c.

Awards

• 1970 ACS Award in Pure Chemistry ^[5]
• 1979 Tolman Award
• 1986 National Medal of Science
• 1990 AIC Gold Medal
• 1992 Priestley Medal
• 2000 Harvey Prize
• 2004 The Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry
• 2004 Wolf Prize in Chemistry
• 2009 Welch Award
• 2012 Inducted into the Alpha Chi Sigma Hall of Fame^[6]
• 2013 Othmer Gold Medal for outstanding contribution to chemistry and science.^[7]

Wolf Prize

His Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 2004 was for "pioneering work in bioinorganic chemistry, unraveling novel principles of structure and long-range electron transfer in proteins."^[8][9]

Gray has made seminal contributions to the understanding of chemical bonding of metal complexes, mechanisms of inorganic reactions, spectroscopy and magneto-chemistry of inorganic compounds. His study of the first trigonal prismatic complexes is one such example. Harry Gray's most significant work lies at the interface between chemistry and biology. As a pioneer of the important and thriving field of bioinorganic chemistry, he has made many key contributions, the most important of which is the development of fundamental understanding of electron transfer in biological systems, at the atomic level.^[10]

Major publications

• Electron Tunneling Through Water: Oxidative Quenching of Electronically Excited Ru(tpy)22+ (tpy=2,2':6,2"-terpyridine) by Ferric Ions in Aqueous Glasses at 77 K, A. Ponce, H. B. Gray, and J. R. Winkler, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 8187-8191.
• Bond-Mediated Electron Tunneling in Ruthenium-Modified High-Potential Iron-Sulfur Protein, E. Babini, I. Bertini, M. Borsari, F. Capozzi, C. Luchinat, X. Y. Zhang, G. L. C. Moura, I. V. Kurnikov, D. N. Beratan, A. Ponce, A. J. Di Bilio, J. R. Winkler, and H. B. Gray, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 4532-4533.
• Electron Tunneling in Biological Molecules, J. R. Winkler, A. J. Di Bilio, N. A. Farrow, J. H. Richards, and H. B. Gray, Pure Appl. Chem. 1999, 71, 1753–1764.
• Optical Detection of Cytochrome P450 by Sensitizer-Linked Substrates, I. J. Dmochowski, B. R. Crane, J. J. Wilker, J. R. Winkler, and H. B. Gray, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. US 1999, 96, 12987-12990.
• Substrates for Rapid Delivery of Electrons and Holes to Buried Active Sites in Proteins, J. J. Wilker, I. J. Dmochowski, J. H. Dawson, J. R. Winkler, and H. B. Gray, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 1999, 38, 90-92.
• Protein Folding Triggered by Electron Transfer, J. R. Telford, P. Wittung-Stafshede, H. B. Gray, and J. R. Winkler, Acc. Chem. Res. 1998, 31, 755-763.
• Electron Transfer in Proteins, H. B. Gray and J. R. Winkler, Annu. Rev. Biochem. 1996, 65, 537-561.
• Protein Folding Triggered by Electron Transfer, T. Pascher, J. P. Chesick, J. R. Winkler, and H. B. Gray, Science 1996, 271, 1558–1560.
• Electron-Tunneling in Proteins - Coupling Through a b-Strand, R. Langen, I-J. Chang, J. P. Germanas, J. H. Richards, J. R. Winkler, and H. B. Gray, Science 1995, 268, 1733–1735.
• Mechanism of Catalytic Oxygenation of Alkanes by Halogenated Iron Porphyrins, M. W. Grinstaff, M. G. Hill, J. A. Labinger, and H. B. Gray, Science 1994, 264, 1311–1313

References

1. "Harry B. Gray - www.cce.caltech.edu". Cce.caltech.edu. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
2. Archived June 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
3. "Educational Foundation - Alpha Chi Sigma". Alphachisigma.org. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
4. Beratan, DN; et al. "Protein electron transfer rates set by the bridging secondary and tertiary structure". Sciencemag.orgaccessdate=18 June 2013.
5. "ACS Award in Pure Chemistry". American Chemical Society. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
6. "Fraternity - Awards - Hall of Fame - Alpha Chi Sigma". Alphachisigma.org. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
7. "Harry B. Gray to receive Othmer Gold Medal at Heritage Day *2013". Chemical Heritage Foundation. 2013-02-08. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
8. Archived May 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
9. "Beckman Institute Laser Resource Center" (PDF). Bilrc.caltech.org. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
10. Simply-Smart. "תוצאות חיפוש - פרס וולף". Wolffund.org.il. Retrieved 14 February 2015.

External links

• Official site at California Institute of Technology