Marcus was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Esther (born Cohen) and Myer Marcus. His father was born in New York and his mother was born in England. His family background is from Ukmergė (Lithuania).[8] He is Jewish[9] and grew up mostly in a Jewish neighborhood in Montreal but also spent some of his childhood in Detroit, United States.[10][8] His interest in the sciences began at a young age. He excelled at mathematics at Baron Byng High School. He then studied at McGill University under Carl A. Winkler,[11] who had studied under Cyril Hinshelwood at the University of Oxford. At McGill, Marcus took more math courses than an average chemistry student, which would later aid him in creating his theory on electron transfer.[12]
Marcus earned a B.Sc. in 1943 and a Ph.D. in 1946, both from McGill University.[13][14] In 1958, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
Electron transfer is one of the simplest forms of a chemical reaction. It consists of one outer-sphere electron transfer between substances of the same atomic structure likewise to Marcus’s studies between divalent and trivalent iron ions. Electron transfer may be one of the most basic forms of chemical reaction but without it life cannot exist. Electron transfer is used in all respiratory functions as well as photosynthesis. In the process of oxidizing food molecules, two hydrogen ions, two electrons, and half an oxygen molecule react to make an exothermic reaction as well as a water molecule:
Because electron transfer is such a broad, common, and essential reaction within nature, Marcus's theory has become vital within the field of chemistry and biochemistry.
A type of chemical reaction linked to his many studies of electron transfer would be the transfer of an electron between metal ions in different states of oxidation. An example of this type of chemical reaction would be one between a divalent and a trivalent iron ion in an aqueous solution. In Marcus's time chemists were astonished at the slow rate in which this specific reaction took place. This attracted many chemists in the 1950s and is also what began Marcus's interests in electron transfer. Marcus made many studies based on the principles that were found within this chemical reaction, and through his studies was able to elaborate his electron transfer theory. His approach gave way to new experimental programs that contributed to all branches within chemistry and biochemistry.[19]
As of his 100th birthday, he is still active doing research.[20]
In 2019, he was awarded with the Fray International Sustainability award at SIPS 2019 by FLOGEN Star Outreach.[23]
See also
Henry Taube, who was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for "his work on the mechanisms of electron-transfer reactions, especially in metal complexes"
^ abMarcus, Rudolph A. Interview by Shirley K. Cohen. Pasadena, California, December 1, 7, and 14, 1993. Oral History Project, California Institute of Technology Archives. Retrieved 2020 from the World Wide Web: http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Marcus_R