Giulio Natta

Giulio Natta

Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1963 (together with K. Ziegler).
Date of Birth: 26.02.1903
Country: Italy

Content:
  1. Biography of Giulio Natta
  2. Research Career
  3. Later Life and Legacy

Biography of Giulio Natta

Early Life and Education

Giulio Natta, an Italian organic chemist and Nobel laureate, was born in Imperia, Italy. He completed his schooling in Genoa at the age of 16 and then pursued additional mathematics courses for two years. In 1924, he earned a degree in chemical technology from Politecnico di Milano university.

Giulio Natta

Research Career

In 1925, Natta received a special scholarship to study in Freiburg im Breisgau, where he first encountered Professor Hermann Staudinger and started studying macromolecules. His work in this field eventually brought him worldwide recognition. In 1927, Natta became a professor at his alma mater.

Giulio Natta

In 1933, Natta became a full professor and director of the Institute of General Chemistry at the University of Pavia. He worked there until 1935 when he moved to the University of Rome as a professor. From 1936 to 1938, Natta served as a professor and dean of the Faculty of Industrial Chemistry at the Polytechnic Institute of Turin.

In 1938, Natta became the head of the Department of Chemical Technologies at Politecnico di Milano. His appointment caused a stir as his predecessor, Mario Giacomo Levi, had left the position due to the anti-Semitic laws in fascist Italy. It was at Politecnico di Milano where Natta participated in improving the catalyst developed by Karl Ziegler. Their joint efforts led to the creation of the "Ziegler-Natta catalyst," which earned them the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1963. The official citation recognized their research on high-molecular-weight polymers and Natta's contributions to polymerization methods, specifically the development of stereospecific polymerization.

Throughout his career, Natta discovered numerous new substances, including a range of elastomers and a new class of polymers with ordered structures known as stereoregular polymers. His research also contributed to the development of the method for producing isotactic polypropylene, an important component of Bologna fabric.

Later Life and Legacy

Unfortunately, Natta's Nobel Prize ceremony was overshadowed by serious health problems. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1956, which progressed rapidly. By 1963, Natta could no longer deliver a speech without assistance from his son and four colleagues. On May 2, 1979, at the age of 76, Giulio Natta passed away in Bergamo, Italy.

In 2013, the city of Imperia commemorated the 50th anniversary of Natta's Nobel Prize by producing two documentary films about the renowned chemist.

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