Robert S. Mulliken

Mulliken in 1929

Robert Sanderson Mulliken (June 7, 1896 – October 31, 1986) was an American physical chemist, primarily responsible for the early development of molecular orbital theory, i.e. the elaboration of the molecular orbital method of computing the structure of molecules. Mulliken received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1966 and the Priestley Medal in 1983.

Quotes

• ...the more accurate the calculations became, the more the concepts tended to vanish into thin air.
  • about using old-fashioned chemistry to describe molecular structure, in Molecular Scientists and Molecular Science: Some Reminiscences, J. Chem. Phys. 43, S2 (1965).