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Room: 303.241
Phone: +61 8 9266 3126
E-mail

Emeritus Prof Leslie Glasser

Adjunct Research Professor

Job Description / Background

Emeritus Professor of Physical Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Qualifications

BSc (Applied and Industrial Chem.); PhD; DIC; FRSC; Hon. MSAChem. I; C. Chem.

Fields of Interest

Predictive thermodynamics of ionic materials, including minerals and ionic liquids; computational chemistry

Biography

• BSc (Applied and Industrial Chemistry) University of Cape Town in 1956;
• PhD (Chemical Engineering) London University (UK) in 1960;
• Diploma in Chemical Physics (DIC) Imperial College, London in 1960;
• Chartered Chemist, F.R.S.C. (London);
• Honorary Member, S.A. Chemical Institute;
• Lecturer in Physical Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand (Senior Lecturer from October 1966) from 1960-1966
• Professor of Physical Chemistry, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa from 1966-1979;
• Professor of Physical Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg from 1980-2000 (Professorial Special List from 1988-2000);
• Research Associate, Princeton University, N.J., U.S.A. (with Professor C.P. Smyth) in 1968;
• D.A.A.D Exchange Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, West Germany (with Professor L. de Maeyer) in 1972;
• Research Fellow, University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, U.K. (with Professor J.M. Thomas and Dr. G. Williams) from 1975-1976;
• Visiting Professor and Visiting Scientist, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA (with Professor H.A. Scheraga) from 1986-1990;
• Visiting Scientist at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, London (with Professor C.R.A. Catlow) from July 1996-1997;
• Visiting Scientist at the Department of Chemistry, University of Bologna, Italy (with Professor D. Braga) from July-September 2000;
• Honorary Professorial Research Fellow from 2001-2003 and Professor Emeritus, University of the Witwatersrand from 2001;
• Adjunct Research Professor, Nanochemistry Research Institute, Curtin University, Western Australia from 2002-2007;
• Committee on Printed and Electronic Publications (CPEP), IUPAC, Titular Member, 2000-2009 (Chair from 2004).

Teaching Activities

Lecturing experience since 1960 in Physical Chemistry. Lectured in almost all aspects of Physical Chemistry over the period, from undergraduate to graduate level courses.

• General Physical Chemistry (eg. gases, transport properties)
• Electrochemistry (equilibrium and dynamic)
• Kinetics
• Structural chemistry (including crystallography and spectroscopy)
• Materials chemistry
• Thermodynamics, especially phase relations
• Computer programming (FORTRAN, BASIC and PILOT)

Specialist and Graduate-Level Courses

• Statistical Thermodynamics
• Irreversible Thermodynamics
• Dielectric spectroscopy: polarization and relaxation
• Chemometrics: data acquisition and data handling
• Fourier Transforms for Chemists
• Computing in Chemistry
• Proteins: Synthesis, Structure, Function, Evolution
• Molecular Modelling
  

Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI)

Principal developer (since 1980) of a suite of nearly 100 CAI programs for first-year level Chemistry. Implemented as part of the first-year program at University of Witwatersrand, Johnnesburg. Commercially available.

Research Activities

(some 100 papers published in scientific journals)

• Development of predictive thermodynamic methods for condensed phases (principally ionic systems).
• Electrical and dielectric properties of insulators (especially proton conduction), with special emphasis on organic solids.
• Properties of hydrogen-bonded associating liquids, including thermodynamics, infra red, dielectric features, and application of theoretical (modelling) methods thereto.
• Development and application of instrumental methods in Chemistry
       -  time-domain dielectric spectroscopy (TDS).
       -  continuous-flow dynamic dialysis (CFDD).
• Thermal processes in solids (phase transitions, decompositions, defects).
• Computer modelling of solids (structures, thermodynamics, dynamics).
• Development and application of computer methods in Chemistry.
• Protein modelling: folding, crystal packing, physical relations.

Selected Publications

Predictive Thermodynamics

• Glasser, L. "Lattice Energies of Crystals with Multiple Ions: a Generalized Kapustinskii Equation", Inorg. Chem,1995, 34 (20), 4935-6.
• Basford, H. K.; Jenkins, H. D. B.; Passmore, J.; Glasser, L. "Thermochemical Radii of Complex Ions", J. Chem. Educ., 1999, 76, 1570-3.
• Jenkins, H. D. B.; Roobottom, H. K.; Passmore, J.; Glasser, L. "Relationships among Ionic Lattice Energies, Molecular (Formula Unit) Volumes, and Thermochemical Radii", Inorg. Chem., 1999, 38, 3609-20.
• Glasser, L.; Jenkins, H. D. B. "Lattice Energies and Unit Cell Volumes of Complex Ionic Solids", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2000, 122, 632-8.
• Jenkins, H.D.B.; Tudela, D.; Glasser, L. "Lattice Potential Energy Estimation for Complex Ionic Solids from Density Measurements", Inorg. Chem., 2002, 41, 2364-7.
• Jenkins, H.D.B.; Glasser, L. "Ionic Hydrates, M_pX_q.nH₂O: Lattice Energy and Standard Enthalpy of Formation Estimation", Inorg. Chem., 2002, 41, 4378-88.
• Marcus, Y.; Jenkins, H.D.B.; Glasser, L. "Ion Volumes: a Comparison", Dalton, 2002, 3795-8.
• Jenkins, H. D. B.; Glasser, L. "Standard Absolute Entropies, S^o₂₉₈, from Volume or Density” I: Ionic Solids", Inorg. Chem, 2003, 42, 8702-8.
• Glasser, L.; Jenkins, H. D. B. "Standard Absolute Entropies, S^o₂₉₈, from Volume or Density" II: Organic Liquids and Solids”, Thermochim. Acta, 2004, 414(2), 125-130.
• Glasser, L. "Lattice and Phase Transition Thermodynamics of Ionic Liquids", Thermochim. Acta, 2004, 421, 87-93.
• Rosseinsky, D. R.; Glasser, L.; Jenkins, H. D. B. "Thermodynamic Clarification of the curious Ferric/Potassium Ion Exchange accompanying the Electrochromic Redox Reactions of Prussian Blue, iron(III) hexacyanoferrate(II)", J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004 , 126 (33), 10473-7.
• Jenkins, H. D. B.; Glasser, L.; Klapötke, T. M.; Crawford, M.-J.; Bhasin, K. K.; Lee, J.; Schrobilgen, G. J.; Sunderlin, L. S.; Liebman, J. F. "The Ionic Isomegethic and Additivity Rules: Estimation of Ion Volumes. A Route to the Energetics and Entropics of New, Traditional, Hypothetical and Counterintuitive Ionic Materials", Inorg. Chem . 2004 , 43 , 6238-48.
• Jenkins, H. D. B.; Glasser, L.; "Difference Rule - A New Thermodynamic Principle: Prediction of Standard Thermodynamic Data for Inorganic Solvates", J. Am. Chem. Soc. , 2004 , 126 , 15809-15817
• Glasser, L.; Jenkins, H. D. B. "Predictive Thermodynamics for Condensed Phases", Chem. Soc. Rev., 2005, 10; 866-874
• Jenkins, H. D. B.; Glasser, L.   “Volume-based Thermodynamics – Estimations for 2:2 Salts”, Inorg. Chem., 2006, 45, 1754-1756.
• Glasser, L.; von Szentpály, L. “Born-Haber-Fajans Cycle Generalized: Linear Energy Relation between Molecules, Crystals and Metals”, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2006, 128, 12314-12321.
• Glasser, L.; Jenkins, H. D. B., “The Thermodynamic Solvate Difference Rule: Solvation Parameters and their use in Interpretation of the Role of Bound Solvent in Condensed-Phase Solvates”, Inorg. Chem., 2007, 46, 9768-9778.
• Glasser, L.; Jenkins, H. D. B., Internally-consistent Ion Volumes and their Application in Volume-Based Thermodynamics (VBT)”, Inorg. Chem., 2008, 47(4), 6195-6202.