William Nunn Lipscomb Jr. was a distinguished American physical chemist whose pioneering work fundamentally transformed understanding of chemical bonding. Born December 9, 1919 in Cleveland, Ohio, he earned his doctorate under Linus Pauling at the California Institute of Technology, where he became intrigued by bonding questions in electron-deficient compounds. After establishing himself as professor and chief of the physical chemistry division at the University of Minnesota, Lipscomb joined Harvard University in 1959 where he served as the Abbot and James Lawrence Professor of Chemistry and chaired the Department of Chemistry from 1962 to 1965, building one of the most influential research groups in modern chemistry.
Lipscomb's most significant contribution was his revolutionary work on borane structures, for which he received the 1976 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, specifically cited for studies that illuminated fundamental problems of chemical bonding. Through meticulous low-temperature X-ray crystallography of volatile boranes combined with pioneering quantum mechanical calculations, he developed a new topological theory of bonding centered on stable 3-center, 2-electron bonds that broke precedent with conventional Lewis octet structures. This theoretical framework not only explained the stability of electron-deficient compounds but also successfully predicted new borane structures and chemical behaviors across neutral and charged species. His research extended to carbon-boron compounds and provided critical insights into nonclassical carbonium ions, reshaping fundamental concepts in chemical bonding theory across multiple subdisciplines.
Beyond his foundational work on boranes, Lipscomb extended his structural studies to biological molecules, determining high-resolution structures of enzymes including carboxypeptidase A and aspartate transcarbamoylase using his formidable expertise in X-ray crystallography. His laboratory's structural work directly contributed to pharmaceutical development, with the Upjohn company using these enzyme structures to design Captopril, a groundbreaking drug for hypertension that saved countless lives. The medical applications of his boron chemistry research also extended to neutron capture therapy for inaccessible brain tumors in Japan, demonstrating the profound translational impact of fundamental research. Lipscomb's enduring legacy includes his influential textbooks Boron Hydrides (1963) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Studies of Boron and Related Compounds (1969), along with his mentorship of future Nobel laureate Thomas A. Steitz, cementing his place as one of the most impactful chemists of the twentieth century.
