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Curtin University
Nanochemistry Research Institute
Image of Professor Glasser

Emeritus Prof Leslie Glasser

Adjunct Research Professor

Room: 500.3127
Phone: +61 8 9266 3126
Email: L.Glasser@curtin.edu.au

Job Description/ Background

Emeritus Professor of Physical Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Qualifications

BSc (Applied and Industrial Chem.); PhD; DIC; Fellow, IUPAC;FRSC; Hon. MSAChem. I; MRACI; C. Chem.

Fields of Interest

Predictive thermodynamics of ionic materials, including minerals and ionic liquids; computational chemistry

Biography

  • BSc (Applied and Industrial Chemistry) University of Cape Town in 1956;
  • PhD (Chemical Engineering) London University (UK) in 1960;
  • Diploma in Chemical Physics (DIC) Imperial College, London in 1960;
  • Chartered Chemist, F.R.S.C. (London);
  • Honorary Member, S.A. Chemical Institute;
  • Lecturer in Physical Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand (Senior Lecturer from October 1966) from 1960-1966
  • Professor of Physical Chemistry, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa from 1966-1979;
  • Professor of Physical Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg from 1980-2000 (Professorial Special List from 1988-2000);
  • Research Associate, Princeton University, N.J., U.S.A. (with Professor C.P. Smyth) in 1968;
  • D.A.A.D Exchange Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, West Germany (with Professor L. de Maeyer) in 1972;
  • Research Fellow, University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, U.K. (with Professor J.M. Thomas and Dr. G. Williams) from 1975-1976;
  • Visiting Professor and Visiting Scientist, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA (with Professor H.A. Scheraga) from 1986-1990;
  • Visiting Scientist at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, London (with Professor C.R.A. Catlow) from July 1996-1997;
  • Visiting Scientist at the Department of Chemistry, University of Bologna, Italy (with Professor D. Braga) from July-September 2000;
  • Honorary Professorial Research Fellow from 2001-2003 and Professor Emeritus, University of the Witwatersrand from 2001;
  • Committee on Printed and Electronic Publications (CPEP), IUPAC, Titular Member, 2000-2009 (Chair from 2004).
  • Adjunct Research Professor, Nanochemistry Research Institute, Curtin University, Western Australia from 2002-2012.

Teaching Activities

Lecturing experience since 1960 in Physical Chemistry. Lectured in almost all aspects of Physical Chemistry over the period, from undergraduate to graduate level courses.

  • General Physical Chemistry (eg. gases, transport properties)
  • Electrochemistry (equilibrium and dynamic)
  • Kinetics
  • Structural chemistry (including crystallography and spectroscopy)
  • Materials chemistry
  • Thermodynamics, especially phase relations
  • Computer programming (FORTRAN, BASIC and PILOT)

Specialist and Graduate-Level Courses

  • Statistical Thermodynamics
  • Irreversible Thermodynamics
  • Dielectric spectroscopy: polarization and relaxation
  • Chemometrics: data acquisition and data handling
  • Fourier Transforms for Chemists
  • Computing in Chemistry
  • Proteins: Synthesis, Structure, Function, Evolution
  • Molecular Modelling

Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI)

Principal developer (since 1980) of a suite of nearly 100 CAI programs for first-year level Chemistry. Implemented as part of the first-year program at University of Witwatersrand, Johnnesburg. Commercially available.

Research Activities

(some 100 papers published in scientific journals)

  • Development of predictive thermodynamic methods for condensed phases (principally ionic systems).
  • Electrical and dielectric properties of insulators (especially proton conduction), with special emphasis on organic solids.
  • Properties of hydrogen-bonded associating liquids, including thermodynamics, infra red, dielectric features, and application of theoretical (modelling) methods thereto.
  • Development and application of instrumental methods in Chemistry time-domain dielectric spectroscopy (TDS) continuous-flow dynamic dialysis (CFDD).
  • Thermal processes in solids (phase transitions, decompositions, defects).
  • Computer modelling of solids (structures, thermodynamics, dynamics).
  • Development and application of computer methods in Chemistry.
  • Protein modelling: folding, crystal packing, physical relations.

Selected Publications

  • Glasser, L. “Lattice Energies of Crystals with Multiple Ions: a Generalized Kapustinskii Equation”, Inorg. Chem,1995, 34 (20),4935-6.
  • Basford, H. K.; Jenkins, H. D. B.; Passmore, J.; Glasser, L. “Thermochemical Radii of Complex Ions”, J. Chem. Educ., 1999, 76, 1570-3.
  • Jenkins, H. D. B.; Roobottom, H. K.; Passmore, J.; Glasser, L. “Relationships among Ionic Lattice Energies, Molecular (Formula Unit) Volumes, and Thermochemical Radii”, Inorg. Chem., 1999, 38, 3609-20.
  • Glasser, L.; Jenkins, H. D. B. “Lattice Energies and Unit Cell Volumes of Complex Ionic Solids”, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2000, 122, 632-8.
  • Jenkins, H.D.B.; Tudela, D.; Glasser, L. “Lattice Potential Energy Estimation for Complex Ionic Solids from Density Measurements”, Inorg. Chem., 2002, 41, 2364-7.
  • Jenkins, H.D.B.; Glasser, L. “Ionic Hydrates, MpXq.nH2O: Lattice Energy and Standard Enthalpy of Formation Estimation”, Inorg. Chem., 2002, 41, 4378-88.
  • Marcus, Y.; Jenkins, H.D.B.; Glasser, L. “Ion Volumes: a Comparison”, Dalton, 2002, 3795-8.
  • Jenkins, H. D. B.; Glasser, L. “Standard Absolute Entropies, So298, from Volume or Density I: Ionic Solids”, Inorg. Chem, 2003, 42, 8702-8.
  • Glasser, L.; Jenkins, H. D. B. “Standard Absolute Entropies, So298, from Volume or Density II: Organic Liquids and Solids”, Thermochim. Acta, 2004, 414(2), 125-130.
  • Glasser, L. “Lattice and Phase Transition Thermodynamics of Ionic Liquids”, Thermochim. Acta, 2004, 421, 87-93.
  • Rosseinsky, D. R.; Glasser, L.; Jenkins, H. D. B. “Thermodynamic Clarification of the curious Ferric/Potassium Ion Exchange accompanying the Electrochromic Redox Reactions of Prussian Blue, iron(III) hexacyanoferrate(II)”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126(33), 10473-7.
  • Jenkins, H. D. B.; Glasser, L.; Klapötke, T. M.; Crawford, M.-J.; Bhasin, K. K.; Lee, J.; Schrobilgen, G. J.; Sunderlin, L. S.; Liebman, J. F. “The Ionic Isomegethic and Additivity Rules: Estimation of Ion Volumes. A Route to the Energetics and Entropics of New, Traditional, Hypothetical and Counterintuitive Ionic Materials”, Inorg. Chem . 2004 , 43 , 6238-48.
  • Jenkins, H. D. B.; Glasser, L.; “Difference Rule – A New Thermodynamic Principle: Prediction of Standard Thermodynamic Data for Inorganic Solvates”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. , 2004 , 126 , 15809-15817
  • Glasser, L.; Jenkins, H. D. B. “Predictive Thermodynamics for Condensed Phases”, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2005, 10; 866-874
  • Jenkins, H. D. B.; Glasser, L. “Volume-based Thermodynamics – Estimations for 2:2 Salts”, Inorg. Chem., 2006, 45, 1754-1756.
  • Glasser, L.; von Szentpály, L. “Born-Haber-Fajans Cycle Generalized: Linear Energy Relation between Molecules, Crystals and Metals”, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2006, 128, 12314-12321.
  • Glasser, L.; Jenkins, H. D. B., “The Thermodynamic Solvate Difference Rule: Solvation Parameters and their use in Interpretation of the Role of Bound Solvent in Condensed-Phase Solvates”, Inorg. Chem., 2007, 46, 9768-9778.
  • Glasser, L.; Jenkins, H. D. B., “Internally-consistent Ion Volumes and their Application in Volume-Based Thermodynamics (VBT)”, Inorg. Chem., 2008, 47(4), 6195-6202.
  • Glasser, L.; Jones, F. “Systematic Thermodynamics of Hydration (and of Solvation) of Inorganic Solids”, Inorg. Chem., 2009, 48(4), 1661-1665.
  • Glasser, L.; Jenkins, H. D. B., “Single-Ion Entropies, Soion, of Solids-A Route to Standard Entropy Estimation”, Inorg. Chem., 2009, 48(15), 7408-7412.
  • Glasser, L. “Systematic Thermodynamics of Magnéli-Phase and Other Transition Metal Oxides”, Inorg. Chem., 2009, 48, 10289-94.
  • Glasser, L. “Volume-Based Thermoelasticity: Compressibility of Inorganic Solids”, Inorg. Chem., 2010, 49, 3424-7.
  • Glasser, L. “Volume-Based Thermoelasticity: Compressibility of Mineral-Structured Materials”, J. Phys. Chem. C 2010, 114, 11248-51.
  • Jenkins, H. D. B.; Lee, J.; Glasser, L. “Volume-Based Thermoelasticity: Consequences of the (Near) Proportionality of Isothermal Compressibility to Formula-Unit Volume”, Inorg. Chem., 2010, 49, 9978-84.
  • Jenkins, H. D. B.; Glasser, L. “Thermodynamic Difference Rules: A Prescription for their Application and Usage to Approximate Thermodynamic Data”, J. Chem. Eng. Ref. Data: Rowlinson Festschrift, 2010, 55, 4231-4238.
  • Jenkins, H. D. B.; Glasser, L.; Liebman, J. F. “The Thermodynamic Hydrate Difference Rule Applied to Salts of Carbon-Containing Oxyacid Salts and Their Hydrates: Materials at the Inorganic/Organic Interface”, J. Chem. Eng. Ref. Data: Rowlinson Festschrift, 2010, 55, 4369-4371.
  • Jenkins, H. D. B.; Glasser, L. “Volume-Based Thermodynamics: A Prescription for its Application and Usage to Approximate Thermodynamic Data”, J. Chem. Eng. Ref. Data: Prausnitz Festschrift, May, 2011. DOI: 10.1021/je100683u