Albert Cotton, 76, Chemist
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Inorganic chemist F. Albert Cotton, a Texas A&M University professor who received the Wolf Prize in 2000 for his work in metallic elements, died February 20 in College Station, Texas. He was 76.
Cotton was director of the laboratory for molecular structure and bonding. at Texas A&M University.
Cotton wrote five text and reference books that sold more than 500,000 copies combined, including editions translated into 40 foreign languages, the school said.
The jury for the Wolf Prize, awarded to outstanding living scientists, described Cotton as the “preeminent inorganic chemist in the world.”
His work earned him numerous other honors, including the Priestley Medal from the American Chemical Society and the National Medal of Science. Two awards bear his name the F.A. Cotton Medal and the F. Albert Cotton Award for Synthetic Inorganic Chemistry.
Cotton, who earned his doctorate from Harvard, joined the Texas A&M faculty in 1972 and was named distinguished professor of chemistry a year later. He previously had taught at MIT.
