News Release

Pacific Northwest chemist wins national award for computer-based research

Grant and Award Announcement

American Chemical Society

David A. Dixon of Richland, Wash., was honored Jan. 16 by the world's largest scientific society for using computers to understand the reactions of fluorine, including the design of environmentally benign alternates to chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. He received the 2003 Award for Creative Work in Fluorine Chemistry from the American Chemical Society at the 16th Winter Fluorine Conference in St. Petersburg, Fla.

From developing refrigerants to studying the nature of non-stick materials, "what I do is use computers to solve complex equations and get at a fundamental understanding of what molecules do," said Dixon, who is the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Battelle Fellow. "And as computers get faster and predictions more reliable, we can solve chemical problems more cheaply, quickly and safely."

His research revolves around fluorine, a highly reactive element. Its reactivity means it can help assemble complex compounds as varied as refrigerants, pharmaceuticals, rocket fuels and agricultural chemicals, but at a price: Fluorine's reactions can be unpredictable.

One of Dixon's achievements is a new energy-based scale that researchers can use to predict whether they can assemble particular fluorine compounds. He also contributed to the development of HFC 134A, the ozone-friendly coolant in many of today's refrigerators and automobile radiators.

His work, which began in the early 1980s at Dupont, started with the basics of ozone-destructive CFCs. From there came the challenges -- not just finding another good refrigerant, but one manufacturers could make in a cost-efficient, environmentally friendly way. And of course, it had to balance the fine line between being stable and safe, but easily broken down if it escaped in the atmosphere. What became HFC 134A was on the market within 10 years.

Dixon, who said he was enticed away from his boyhood interest in physics by "a great chemistry teacher in high school," received his undergraduate degree from the California Institute of Technology in 1971 and his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1976. He is a member of the ACS divisions of fluorine, computer, physical and organic chemistry.

The ACS Award for Creative Work in Fluorine Chemistry is sponsored by Lancaster Synthesis, Inc.

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