13: Applications in Chemistry of Properties Involving Molecular Polarisability (1960)

Authors

  • Raymond James Wood Le Fèvre Chemistry School, University of Sydney

Abstract

Liversidge Research Lecture delivered before the Royal Society of New South Wales, October 13th, 1960. Reproduced by permission of the Royal Society of New South Wales from J. Proc. Roy. Soc. N.S.W., 1961, 95, 1-11.

"As a young organic chemist in England during the late 1920's, I saw and heard a great deal of the then developing theoretical approaches to reactivity and reaction mechanism..."

"Much less was known of the "tautomeric" or "inductomeric" polarisability effects; accordingly, a few years before the last war, my wife and I decided to attempt their direct investigation. This necessitated the practical measurement of electric double refraction and thus brought us into contact with a physical property which, during our period in Australia, has been developed into stereochemical usefulness, and which is now beginning to be applied by others elsewhere in the world."

Author Biography

  • Raymond James Wood Le Fèvre, Chemistry School, University of Sydney

     

    A former Professor of Chemistry and Head of the School of Chemistry at the University of Sydney, Raymond James Wood Le Fèvre was born in North London in 1905. Oftentimes collaborating with his wife Catherine, also a chemist, Le Fèvre mainly studied the dipole moments and Kerr constants of organic compounds. The year after his Liversidge Lecture, Le Fèvre became President of the Royal Society of NSW.

     

    For additional biographical information, photographic permissions, references and a list of honours, awards and publications, please see pages 2–4 of the transcript.

References

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Aroney, M., Le Fèvre, R.J.W., and Shu-Sing Chang, 1960. J. Chem. Soc., 3173.

Bramley, R, Le Fèvre, C.G., Le Fèvre, R.J.W., and Purnachandra Rao, B., 1959. J. Chem. Soc., 1183.

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Le Fèvre, C.G., and Le Fèvre, R.J.W., 1955. J. Chem. Soc., 1641.

Le Fèvre, C.G., and Le Fèvre, R.J.W., 1955. Revs. Pure Appl. Chem. (Australia ), 5, 261.

Le Fèvre, C.G., and Le Fèvre, R.J.W., 1956. J. Chem. Soc., 3549.

Le Fèvre, C.G., Le Fèvre, R.J.W., and Chau, J.Y.H., 1959. J. Chem. Soc., 2666.

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Le Fèvre, C.G., Le Fèvre, R.J.W., and Parkins, G.M., 1960. J. Chem. Soc., 1814.

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Le Fèvre, C. G., Le Fèvre, R. J.W., and Smith, M.R., 1958. J. Chem. Soc., 16.

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Stein, R.S., 1956. Chapter in Vol. 4 of "Die Physik der Hochpolymeren", Ed. H. A. Stuart, Springer, Berlin-Göttingen-Heidelberg, p. 120.

Raymond James Wood Le Fèvre portrait

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The Liversidge Research Lectures: The Royal Society of NSW Series 1931–2000

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