Fausto Calderazzo

Fausto Calderazzo was an Italian inorganic chemist. He gained renown from numerous contributions in inorganic chemistry and organometallic chemistry.^[1][2] He was born in Parma, on March 8, 1930, where his father served in the Royal Italian army. He died in Pisa on June 1, 2014, at the age of 84.^[3]

Fausto Calderazzo
Calderazzo in 2004
Born	(1930-03-08)March 8, 1930 Parma, Italy
Died	June 1, 2014(2014-06-01) (aged 84) Pisa, Italy.
Nationality	Italian
Education	University of Florence (BS)
Awards	A. Miolati award (1988) L. Sacconi Medal (1998)
Scientific career
Fields	Inorganic Chemistry Organometallic Chemistry
Institutions	University of Pisa Polytechnic University of Milan

Life and education

Fausto Calderazzoe entered the University of Florence, in November 1947. He worked in the laboratory of Luigi Sacconi.^[4] After the compulsory military service, Calderazzo joined the research group of Giulio Natta, a future Nobel laureate in Milan. He was a postdoctoral fellow with F. A. Cotton. His first independent position was at the Cyanamid European Research Institute in Geneva (1963-1968). There he was part of a team of future eminent scholars, including Carlo Floriani. For most of his career he was professor at the University of Pisa.

Research

Figure 4. Crystallographic structure of [H(THF)₂][Nb₂(μ-Cl)₃(CO)₈]

Metal carbonyl chemistry

While in Milan, he discovered V(CO)₆.^[5] He made seminal contributions to the mechanism of migratory insertion reactions, with emphasis on the stereochemical course of the carbonylation of CH₃Mn(CO)₅.^[6] His team later (in Pisa) developed syntheses of Na[Nb(CO)₆] and Na[Ta(CO₆)].^[7]

He contributed to the so-called "non classical" carbonyl compounds through studies on gold complexes.^[8][9]

Metal halides

Structure of Au₄Cl₈

Calderazzo extended his interest in carbonyl chemistry of the late transition metals halides.^[10] His group reported Au₄Cl₈, a simple mixed-valence gold chloride.^[11]

Early metal complexes

Many of his contributions focused on early transition metals.^[12][13] He carried out research on carbon dioxide complexes.^[14]

Starting with the preparation of V(η⁶-1,3,5-C₆H₃Me₃)₂, his group prepared many bis-mesitylene derivatives.^[15]

Awards and titles

Calderazzo was a member of the editorial or advisor board of international scientific journals. He was a member of the Société Royale de Chemie (1987), Società Chimica Italiana and Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (1989). He received the A. Miolati award in Inorganic Chemistry in 1988 and the L. Sacconi Medal in 1998.