Two former students of Professor Bob Morris have written an article about his influence on organometallic chemistry.
In a “Pioneers and Influencers” editorial, two past students from the Morris Group, Prof. Demyan E. Prokopchuk of Rutgers University−Newark (UofT PhD 2015) and Prof. Datong Song of the UofT Department of Chemistry (Postdoc 2003-2004) detail early experiences that drew Morris to a life in research chemistry, going on to outline key achievements in a career spanning more than four decades.
“I am very grateful that they honoured me in this way,” Morris said, in reaction to the article’s release. “As Maria Von Trapp (Julie Andrews) sang in the Sound of Music, 'I must have done something good.'”
“Pioneers and Influencers in Organometallic Chemistry: Bob Morris, a Career of Curiosity with Metal Hydrides and Dihydrogen,” is now available online in the current issue of the ACS publication Organometallics.
“In the early days of Bob’s independent career, resources were highly limited, forcing researchers like him to be creative and think outside the box,” it reads. Song and Prokopchuk go on to characterize the early eighties as an exciting time for transition metal dihydrogen chemistry, a subfield of organometallic chemistry that explores how molecular hydrogen (H₂) interacts with transition metal centers, reactions essential in catalysis, energy storage, and green chemistry.
“The Morris group isolated the first structurally unambiguous examples of η2-H2 coordinated to octahedral iron and ruthenium complexes supported by diphosphine and hydride ligands,” say the authors. Put another way, this was a major step forward in understanding how molecular hydrogen interacts with transition metals.
And now that it's 2025, what is Morris curious about? “I am curious about how to make abundant-metal-based catalysts, especially those of iron that can be used in industry,” he said. “My target applications are pharmaceutical synthesis and carbon dioxide chemistry.”
Song and Prokopchuk conclude their piece by celebrating Morris’s significant contributions as a teacher and mentor. “His legacy includes not only groundbreaking discoveries but also the passionate training and mentorship of scientists who continue to push the boundaries of organometallic and catalytic chemistry.”
It is a fitting tribute to a long and influential career, offered by those who have benefited from that mentorship and followed in their teacher’s footsteps.
Readers curious about Professor Morris and his research can read the Organometallics article, browse the Canadian Journal of Chemistry special issue about his work, read his Accounts of Chemical Research or visit the Morris Group web page.