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George Olah was born and educated in Hungary, moved to Canada (Dow Chemical) after the 1956 Hungarian uprising, and ultimately to the U.S.A. He was professor and chairman of chemistry at Case Western Reserve University before moving to the University of Southern California, where he is distinguished professor at USC's Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute.
Professor Olah researches a wide range of synthetic and mechanistic organic chemistry with emphasis on hydrocarbon chemistry. He is currently investigating electrophilic (protic) solvation superelectrophilic activation, which allows new applications in alkylation, acylation and many other reactions. Professor Olah's research in hydrocarbons contributed to lead-free gasoline cleaner high-octane gas and the promise of other nonpolluting fuels. His synthetic work has many applications in pharmaceutical and industrial chemistry. His most recent research centers on conversion of excess atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane into useful fuels and derived hydrocarbon products. His research is directed to new resources replacing diminishing oil reserves and at the same time to mitigate global warming, which in great part is caused by greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. He is also involved in the development of a new generation of fuel cell using directly methanol instead of volatile and dangerous hydrogen gas.
In 1994, Professor Olah was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. In the course of his distinguished career spanning about half a century, he has been exceedingly prolific and has published more than 1000 scientific papers and 15 books and holds more than 100 patents.
Professor Olah's publication with World Scientific include:
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