chemistry

Robin Clark (chemist)

Robin Clark (chemist) is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Robin Clark (chemist) rather than just read about it. In short: Robin Jon Hawes Clark (16 February 1935 – 6 December 2018) was a New Zealand-born chemist initially noted for research of transition metal and mixed-valence complexes, and later for the use of Raman spectroscopy in determining the chemical composition of pigments used in artworks. Early life and education Clark was born in Rangiora, New Zealand on 16 February 1935, to parents Reginald Hawes Clark and Marjorie Alice…

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Reference excerpt

Robin Jon Hawes Clark (16 February 1935 – 6 December 2018) was a New Zealand-born chemist initially noted for research of transition metal and mixed-valence complexes, and later for the use of Raman spectroscopy in determining the chemical composition of pigments used in artworks.

Early life and education Clark was born in Rangiora, New Zealand on 16 February 1935, to parents Reginald Hawes Clark and Marjorie Alice Clark. He attended Marlborough College, Blenheim, and Christ's College, Christchurch before pursuing bachelor's and master's at Canterbury University College. Clark was a research and teaching fellow under William Fyfe at the University of Otago in 1958. From 1958 to 1961, Clark worked toward a doctorate advised by Ronald Sydney Nyholm and Jack Lewis at University College London and was awarded a PhD degree for his work on titanium complexes in 1961. The University of London later awarded Clark a DSc in 1969.

Career Clark began teaching at University College London in 1962 as an assistant lecturer. He was appointed Sir William Ramsay Professor in 1989, and served until retirement in 2009. He served as the dean of science from 1988 to 1989 and later as head of the chemistry department from 1989 to 1999. Clark died in London on 6 December 2018.

Artwork authentication In 1992, Clark was asked to develop a non-destructive technique to analyze the chemical composition of a painting in such a way to be able to spot art forgeries. He had since developed the use of Raman spectroscopy as an important tool for use in the fields of artwork authentication, conservation, and preservation.

Awards and honours Over the course of his career, Clark delivered several named lectures and received multiple awards. In 1969, he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. In 1989, he was granted honorary fellowship by the Royal Society of New Zealand. He became a fellow of the Royal Society of London and member of the Academia Europaea in 1990. Two years later, he was elected a fellow of University College London and the Royal Society of Arts, and in 2001 he was conferred with an honorary DSc by the University of Canterbury. Clark was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to science and New Zealand interests in the United Kingdom, followed by elections as a foreign fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India in 2007 and as an international member of the American Philosophical Society in 2010. In 2009, Royal Society of Chemistry awarded Clark the Sir George Stokes Award for his contribution to the application of analytical science to the arts and archaeology through his development of Raman microscopy for the identification of pigments.

Selected works Clark, Robin J.H.; Williams, Charles S. (1965). "The far-infrared spectra of metal-halide complexes of pyridine and related ligands". Inorganic Chemistry. 4 (3): 350–357. doi:10.1021/ic50025a020. Bell, Ian M.; Clark, Robin J.H.; Gibbs, Peter J. (1997). "Raman spectroscopic library of natural and synthetic pigments (pre-~ 1850 AD)". Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy. 53 (12): 2159–2179. doi:10.1016/S1386-1425(97)00140-6. PMID 9437873. Burgio, Lucia; Clark, Robin J.H. (2001). "Library of FT-Raman spectra of pigments, minerals, pigment media and varnishes, and supplement to existing library of Raman spectra of pigments with visible excitation". Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy. 57 (7): 1491–1521. Bibcode:2001AcSpA..57.1491B. doi:10.1016/s1386-1425(00)00495-9. PMID 11446703. Clark, Robin J. H.; Dines, Trevor J. (1986). "Resonance Raman Spectroscopy, and Its Application to Inorganic Chemistry". Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English. 25 (2): 131–158. doi:10.1002/anie.198601311. ISSN 0570-0833.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Robin Clark (chemist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Robin Clark (chemist) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Robin Clark (chemist) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Robin Clark (chemist) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Robin Clark (chemist)

In research: Robin Clark (chemist) appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Robin Clark (chemist) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Robin Clark (chemist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1935 births, 2018 deaths, 20th-century British chemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Robin Clark (chemist) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Robin Clark (chemist) in 20 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

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Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

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Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

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It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Robin Clark (chemist).