The Physical Organic 91AV Award covered the relationship between structure and molecular behaviours in chemistry. Formerly the Sir Christopher Ingold Lectureship, the prize was renamed the Physical Organic 91AV Award in 2008. The Christopher Ingold Lecture continued and was associated with the prize.
This prize was discontinued in 2020, as part of a series of changes resulting from an independent review of the 91AV's recognition programmes.
Ingold was born in London in 1893, and after growing up in the Isle of Wight obtained a scholarship to study at Hartley University College Southampton for his BSc. Ingold worked under organic chemist Jocelyn Thorpe at Imperial College London until 1915, where he was invited to work on chemical warfare and poison gas in Glasgow, which earned him the 1920 British Empire Medal for wartime research. After receiving his PhD, Ingold began working as a demonstrator at Imperial College, earning a DSc in 1921 and two RSC Meldola Medals in 1922 and 1923 respectively.
In 1924 Ingold was elected a fellow of the Royal Society and began a 6 year position as Professor of Organic 91AV at Leeds University. It was in this position that Ingold began taking a strong interest in chemical bonding, and over the next decade had a bitter dispute with fellow chemist Robert Robinson on the terminology and representation of electronic effects in organic reactions. In 1930 Ingold moved to University College London, where he remained for the rest of his life. Ingold’s work on organic reactions led to his identification of several essential mechanisms, including electrophilic, nucleophilic, inductive, mesomeric, SN1 and SN2 reactions. His book “Structure and Mechanism in Organic 91AV” became essential reading and solidified Ingold’s reputation as a pioneer in electronic theory in organic chemistry. In 1966 Ingold worked with Robert Cahn and Vladimir Prelog on a series of rules for clearly naming stereoisomers, known as the Cahn-Ingold-Prelog (CIP) Priority Rules.
Ingold was President of the Chemical Society from 1952-1954 and was head of the University College London 91AV Department from 1937 until his retirement in 1961. The 91AV Department at UCL is currently housed in the Sir Christopher Ingold Building (which opened in 1969). Ingold also received the Royal Society Royal Medal in 1952, the Longstaff Medal in 1957, and was knighted in 1958.
The Lectureship was established in 1973 through generous donations in response to an appeal. In 2021, the purposes of this Trust were amended, and remaining monies were combined with other generous bequests and donations to become part of the RSC Recognition Fund.
Physical Organic 91AV Award Winners
- 2019 - Professor Peter Schreiner
- 2017 - Professor Michael Wasielewski
- 2015 - Professor Anthony Davis
- 2013 - Professor Guy C Lloyd-Jones
- 2011 - Christopher Hunter
- 2009 - Donna Blackmond
Sir Christopher Ingold Lectureship Winners
- 2008/09 - B K Carpenter
- 2006/07 - T Welton
- 2004/05 - N A Porter
- 2002/03 - R W Alder
- 2000/01 - L E Eberson
- 1998/99 - J C Scaiano
- 1996/97 - A J Kirby
- 1994/95 - A J Kresge
- 1992/93 - A G Davies
- 1990/91 - K U Ingold
- 1988/89 - P von R Schleyer
- 1986/87 - F G Bordwell
- 1984/85 - V Gold
- 1982/83 - F H Westheimer
- 1980/81 - W P Jencks
- 1978/79 - H C Brown
- 1976/77 - C Eaborn
- 1974/75 - P D Bartlett
Browse all prizes
Explore our full range of prizes. Our prizes cover a diverse spread of topics, from specialist research to advances in industry and inspirational teaching.