Robert H. Crabtree

Born in London in 1948, Crabtree moved to the US in 1977 and is now Whitehead Professor at Yale. He has worked on numerous topics in organometallic chemistry, such as hydrogenation catalysis, CH activation, dihydrogen complexes, dihydrogen bonding, and, most recently, artificial photosynthesis. The first edition of the organometallic book dates from 1988 but the advance of the field has required updating the book every five years. The updating has mostly concerned the later part of the book, covering applications, but even the first part of the book, on principles, has seen considerable change. Comparing the editions shows how the field has evolved over the years with new topics emerging compensated by decreasing emphasis on others. Keeping the book within a tight compass has required critical editing to prevent it from expanding beyond the limit that makes it suitable for teaching in a university.