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Tribute to Josef Michl Editorial Editorial TributeTribute to JosefJosef Michl Michl IgorIgor Alabugin Alabugin 1,1,** andand Petr Petr Klán Klá n2,*2, * 1 1 Department of of Chemistry Chemistry and and Biochemistry, Biochemistry, Florida Florida State University,State University, Tallahassee, Tallahassee, Fl 32306, Fl USA 32306, USA 2 2 Department of of Chemistry Chemistry and and RECETOX, RECETOX, Faculty Faculty of Science, of Science, Masaryk Masa University,ryk University, Kamenice Kamenice 5, 5, 625 00 Brno,Brno, Czech Czech Republic Republic * Correspondence: [email protected] (I.A.); [email protected] (P.K.) * Correspondence: [email protected] (I.A.); [email protected] (P.K.) It is our great pleasure to introduce the Festschrift of Chemistry to honor professor JosefIt Michl is our (Figure great pleasure 1) on the to o introduceccasion of the hisFestschrift 80th birthdayof Chemistry and toto recognize honor professor his exceptional Josefcontributions Michl (Figure to 1the) on fields the occasion of organic of his photoc 80th birthdayhemistry, and quantum to recognize chemis his exceptionaltry, biradicals and contributionsbiradicaloids, to electronic the fields of and organic vibrational photochemistry, spectroscopy, quantum magnetic chemistry, circular biradicals dichroism, and sili- biradicaloids,con and boron electronic chemistry, and vibrational supramolecular spectroscopy, chem magneticistry, singlet circular fission, dichroism, and molecular silicon ma- andchines. boron chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, singlet fission, and molecular machines. Citation: Alabugin, I.; Klán, P. Tribute to Josef Michl. Chemistry 2021, Citation: Alabugin, I.; Klán, P. 3, 440–443. https://doi.org/10.3390/ Tribute to Josef Michl. Chemistry chemistry3010032 2021, 3, Firstpage–Lastpage. https://doi.org/10.3390/xxxxxReceived: 17 March 2021 Accepted: 17 March 2021 Received:Published: 17 March 22 March 2021 2021 Accepted: 17 March 2021 Published:Publisher’s 22 March Note: MDPI 2021 stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neu- Figure 1. Josef Michl, credit from Neuron Foundation. iations. Figure 1. Josef Michl, credit from Neuron Foundation. tral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institu- JosefJosef Michl Michl was was born born in Prague, in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Czechoslov in 1939,akia, just in at 1939, the beginning just at the of World beginning of tional affiliations. WarWorld II. Hard War times II. Hard for the times family for continued the family even continued after the war even when after the Communists the war when seized the Com- powermunists in 1948.seized Despite power all in that, 1948. Josef Despite received all an that, excellent Josef education.received an He excellent warmheartedly education. He Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. remembers his elementary- and high-school teachers whom he credits for his love of Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. warmheartedly remembers his elementary- and high-school teachers whom he credits for chemistry, as well as his very tolerant parents who allowed him to perform his first This article is an open access article his love of chemistry, as well as his very tolerant parents who allowed him to perform his Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. chemical experiments in the kitchen. He studied chemistry at Charles University in distributed under the terms and Praguefirst chemical and received experiments the M.S. degreein the inkitchen. 1961 with He physical studied organic chemistry chemist at Charles Václav Hor Universityák in Submittedconditions for of possible the Creative open Commonsaccess andPrague electrochemist and received Petr the Zuman. M.S. degree He chose in 1961 Rudolf with Zahradn physicalík, an organic outstanding chemist physical Václav Horák publicationAttribution under (CC BY)the terms license and (https:// chemist,and electrochemist as his Ph.D. project Petr Zuman. supervisor He to chose work simultaneouslyRudolf Zahradník, on the an theory, outstanding electronic physical conditionscreativecommons.org/licenses/by/ of the Creative Commons π Attribution4.0/). (CC BY) license spectroscopy,chemist, as his and Ph.D. synthesis project of non-alternantsupervisor to -electronwork simultaneously systems. He was on introducedthe theory, to electronic (http://creativecommons.org/li- spectroscopy, and synthesis of non-alternant π-electron systems. He was introduced to censes/by/4.0/). photophysics during his postdoctoral studies with Ralph Becker at the University of Hou- Chemistry 2021, 3, 440–443. https://doi.org/10.3390/chemistry3010032 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/chemistry Chemistry 2021, 3, Firstpage–Lastpage. https://doi.org/10.3390/xxxxx www.mdpi.com/journal/chemistry Chemistry 2021, 3, FOR PEER REVIEW 2 Chemistry 2021, 3 441 photophysicsston and Andy during Albrecht his postdoctoral at Cornell studiesand to 19 withF NMR Ralph spectroscopy Becker at the in Universitythe laboratory of of Mi- Houstonchael Dewar and Andy at the Albrecht University at Cornell of Texas, and Austin to 19F. NMR His short spectroscopy return to in Prague the laboratory was interrupted ofby Michael the Warsaw Dewar Pact at the invasion University of Czechoslovakia of Texas, Austin. in His 1968. short At returnthe time to Pragueof this attack, was while interruptedparticipating by thein the Warsaw Löwdin Pact summer invasion school of Czechoslovakia of quantum inchemistry 1968. At thein Norway, time of this he decided attack, while participating in the Löwdin summer school of quantum chemistry in Norway, to join a theoretical physicist Jan Linderberg in Aarhus, Denmark. In 1969, Josef married he decided to join a theoretical physicist Jan Linderberg in Aarhus, Denmark. In 1969, Josef marriedthe love the of love his oflife, his Sara, life, Sara, a political a political scientist. scientist. They They loved loved traveling traveling around around the the world, world, espe- especiallycially mountain mountain climbing climbing (Figure (Figure2 ),2), and and Josef Jose enjoysf enjoys telling telling of their of their adventures, adventures, such such as ascrossing crossing the the Andes as as they they walked walked from from Argentina Argentina to Chile to Chile or climbing or climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania,Tanzania, when when Sara Sara was was pregnant pregna withnt with their firsttheir child. first Lifechild. inflicted Life inflicted severe wounds severe onwounds on JosefJosef when when two two of of their their three three children children succumbed succumbed to cancer, to cancer, and more and recently, more recently, when Sara when Sara passedpassed away away after after half half a century a century of blissful of blissful companionship. companionship. FigureFigure 2. 2.Josef Josef Michl, Michl, credit credit from from Veronica Veronica Vaida. Vaida. AfterAfter the the stay stay in Aarhus,in Aarhus, Josef Josef accepted accepted a postdoctoral a postdoctoral position position with Frank with Harris Frank at Harris at thethe University University of Utahof Utah to learn to learn ab initio ab calculationsinitio calculations and, in 1970, and, a in research 1970, a faculty research position faculty posi- attion the sameat the institution. same institution. At this time, At this he joined time, the hecommunity joined the ofcommunity organic photochemists of organic andphotochem- started a long-term cooperation with many prominent physical and organic chemists. Josef ists and started a long-term cooperation with many prominent physical and organic chem- quickly attained the rank of full professor and later served as chairman of the Department ofists. Chemistry. Josef quickly Then, attained he moved the to therank University of full professor of Texas atand Austin later asserved the M. as K. chairman Collie- of the WelchDepartment Regents Chairof Chemistry. in Chemistry Then, (1986) he andmoved finally to toth thee University University of Colorado,Texas at Austin Boulder as the M. (1991),K. Collie-Welch where he still Regents works Chair and teaches. in Chemistry When Czechoslovakia(1986) and finally became to the a democraticUniversity of Colo- countryrado, Boulder again in 1989,(1991), Josef where was freehe still to travel works back an tod histeaches. homeland, When and Czechoslovakia since 2006, he has became a helddemocratic the position country of head again of the in research1989, Josef team was at fr theee Institute to travel of back Organic to his Chemistry homeland, and and since Biochemistry,2006, he has Academy held the of position Sciences ofof thehead Czech of the Republic, research Prague. team He at likes the to Institute say that heof Organic isChemistry delocalized and between Biochemistry, Boulder and Academy Prague. of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague. He Josef has made a significant impact in many fields of chemistry. His independent likes to say that he is delocalized between Boulder and Prague. career at Utah started with the analysis of electronic states of fundamentally important π- systems.Josef This has work made revealed a significant to the world impact some ofin Josef’smany classicfields “penof chemistry. and pencil” His analysis independent ofcareer intriguing at Utah puzzles started which with now the can analysis be found of in electronic textbooks, states such as of how fundamentally two hydrocarbons important π- withsystems. identical This ionization work revealed potentials to the and world electron some affinities of Josef’s can have classic dramatically
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