50th Anniversary of Electron Counting Paradigms for Polyhedral Molecules

Michael Mingos was born in Basra, Iraq in 1944 and was educated in England (Manchester, B.Sc. in Chemistry 1965) and University of Sussex (D.Phil, 1968). He has held academic posts at QMC, Oxford (Keble College), Imperial College, St Edmund Hall (Principal,1999-2009). His theoretical research has resulted in generalisations which have greatly influenced the development and teaching of modern inorganic chemistry. Specifically the Wade-Mingos Rules which rationalise the structures of polyhedral inorganic molecules and the Green-Davies-Mingos Rules, which account for some of the nucleophilic reactions  of organometallic compounds. His group has experimentally verified some of his theoretical predictions, for example an icosahedral molecule containing gold atoms -which is relevant for understanding the metal’s nano-technological possibilities. He has also contributed to the understanding of the bonding properties of nitric oxide, an important cellular signalling molecule involved in many physiological processes and pioneered the acceleration of chemical reactions using microwave energy. He was elected the Royal Society in 1992 and the European Academy of Sciences in 2017. He holds honorary doctorates from Sussex and Manchester Universities and received many prizes – the most recent was the Blaise Pascal Medal in 2017.

• Historical introduction to Polyhedral Bonding Models leading to Professor Ken Wade’s Contribution.- Introduction to Tensor Surface Harmonic Theory.- Polyhedra beyond the icosahedron.- Non-sphericity in metalloboranes.- Bis(carboranes) and Related Species.- Borane and carborane clusters meet coordination polymers and networks: In the hole or in the backbone?