Animesh Chakravorty (born 30 June 1935) is an Indian inorganic chemist.Mukherjee, R.N. (2014), “ Animesh Chakravorty- an era of inorganic chemistry research in India”, Current Science, 107(6): 1052-1059Mukherjee, Rabindranath; Chakravarty Akhil R. (2010), “Preface”, Inorganica Chimica Acta. 363(12): 2693-2694.
Biography Born in Mymensingh city (now in Bangladesh), Chakravorty had his school education there and later in Kolkata after the family moved there in 1948. He received his BSc degree from Scottish Church College, Kolkata (1955);Some Alumni of Scottish Church College in 175th Year Commemoration Volume. Scottish Church College, April 2008. page 584 MSc and PhD degrees (1957 and 1961) from College of Science, University of Calcutta, Kolkata.Hundred Years of Post-Graduate Teaching in Chemistry under Calcutta University, 1886-1986, 1987 Appendix II page A-II, 6; Appendix IV, page xvii. His doctoral work was directed by Sadhan Basu (1922-1992).Misra, Ramprasad; Bhattacharyya, S.P.(2013), “Sadhan Basu - Physical Chemist Extraordinaire- A glimpse into his Research work”. Resonance. 18 (07): 598-614 He also worked independently.Gangopadhyay, Arun Kumar; Chakravorty, Animesh (1961). “Charge Transfer Spectra of Some Gold(III) Complexes". Journal of Chemical Physics. 35 (06): 2206-2209 He then went to Cambridge, USA to work (1961-1964) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Frank Albert Cotton (1930-2007) and later at Harvard University with Richard Hadley Holm (1933-2023). He returned home in 1964 and joined the Chemistry Faculty of Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IITK)Rao, C.N.R. (2010), Climbing the Limitless Ladder: a Life in Chemistry. World Scientific. Page 58. in as a lecturer, later becoming a professor (Head,1974–77). In 1977 he moved to Kolkata to lead the Department of Inorganic Chemistry at Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), the oldest science research institute in India.Gahtak U.R. (Chairman of Publication committee). (1976). A Century: Indian Association for the Cultivation of ScienceChakravorty, A. (Chairman of Publication Sub-committee). (2001). 125 Years: Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science. He formally retired from IACS in 2000 but continued to work there till 2018 as an Emeritus Professor concurrently holding other externally supported research positions.
Research Chakravorty's research concerns synthesis, structure and reactions of new transition metal complexes. He is best known for his work on tuning of variable valence and scrutiny of associated redox phenomena. He is an early pioneer in the systematic use of the now-common voltammetric techniques as a powerful research tool in variable valence transition metal coordination chemistry initially using a home-built equipment.Mohanty, J.G.; Chakravorty, A.(1976), “Chemistry of Tetravalent Nickel and Related Species. 2. Cyclic Voltamametry of Oxidation-Reduction Equilibria Involving Protons”. Inorganic Chemistry, 15(11): 2912-2916. The work of his group has resulted in nearly 300 original papers encompassing the chemistry of manganese,Chandra, Swapan Kumar:; Basu, Partha; Ray, Debashish; Pal, Samudranil, and Chakravorty, Animesh (1990), “ A Family of Monocular Manganese(IV) Complexes: An MnivO4N2 Sphere Assembled via Phenolato-Imine-Carboxylate Coordination”, Inorganic Chemistry, 29 (13): 2423-2428.Somnath, Dutta; Basu, Partha, and Chakravorty, Animesh(1991), "Mononuclear Manganese(IV) in Tridentate ONO Coordination. Synthesis, Structure and Redox Regulation via Oxygen Donor Variation", Inorganic Chemistry, 30(21), 4031-4037.Dirghangi, Bimal Kumar; Menon, Mahua; Pramanik, Amitava, and Chakravorty, Animesh (1997), “A Triad of Variable-Valent Rhenium Aldimine and Amide Systems Interrelated by Successive Oxygen Atom Transfer”, Inorganic Chemistry, 36(06): 1095-1101.Gangopadhyay, Jaydip; Sengupta, Suman; Bhattachayya, Sibaprasad, and Chakravorty, Animesh(2002), "Pyridylazole Chelation of Oxorhenium(V) and Iminorhenium(V). Rates and Trends of Oxygen Atom Transfer from ReVO to Tertiary Phosphines", Inorganic Chemistry, 41(09):2616-2622. ironMukherjee, R. N.; Rajan, O. A.; Chakravorty, A. (1982), "Electron Transfer in Groups of Iron, Cobalt, and Copper Triazene-1-Oxides: Hammett Correlation, Ligand Redistribution, and Crystal Field Effects", Inorganic Chemistry, 21 (02): 785-790.Goswami, Srebrata; Chakravarty, Akhil. R; Chakravorty, Animesh (1982), “The RuII(OH2)–RuIV(O) Couple in a Ruthenium Complex of 2-(Phenylazo)pyridine : Homogeneous Catalysis of the Oxidation of Water to Dioxygen”, Journal of Chemical Society, Chemical Communication: 1288-1289.Goswami, Srebrata; Mukherjee, Rabindranath, and Chakravorty, Animesh (1983), “Chemistry of Ruthenium. 12. Reactions of Bidentate Ligands with Diaqobis[2-(arylazo)pyridine]ruthenium(II) Cation. Stereoretentive Synthesis of Tris Chelates and Their Characterization: Metal Oxidation, Ligand Reduction, and Spectroelectrochemical Correlation”, Inorganic Chemistry, 22(20): 2825-2832.Ghosh, Phalgun, and Chakravorty, Animesh(1984), "Hydroxamates of Bis(2,2'-bypyridine)ruthenium: Synthesis, Protic, Redox, Electroprotic Eqilibra, Spectra and Spectroelectrochemical Correlations", Inorganic Chemistry, 23(15): 2242-2248.Lahiri, Goutam Kumar; Bhattacharya, Samaresh; Ghosh, Barindra Kumar, and Chakravorty, Animesh (1987), “Ruthenium and Osmium Complexes of N, O Chelators: Syntheses, Oxidation Levels, and Distortion Parameters”, Inorganic Chemistry, 26(26): 4324-4331.Basu, Partha; Choudhury, Suranjan Bhanja; Pal, Samudranil, and Chakravorty, Animesh (1989), “Chemistry of Ferro- and Ferriverdins. Iron Redox and Geometrical Stereodynamis”, Inorganic Chemistry, 28 (13). 2680-2686.Ghosh, Prasanta; Bag, Nilkamal & Chakravorty, Animesh (1996), “Decarbonylative Metalation of Diformylphenol Schiff Bases: New Osmium and Ruthenium Organometallics Incorporating the Iminium−Phenolato Zwitterionic Motif”, Organometallics, 15(13): 3042-3047.Ghosh, Kaushik; Pattanayak, Sujoy, and Chakravorty, Animesh(1998), "Metallacycle Expansion by Alkyne Insetion. Chemistry of a New Family of Ruthenium Organometallics", Organometallics 17(10): 1956-1960.Pramanik, Kaushikisankar; Shivkumar, Maya; Ghosh, Prasanta, and Chakravorty Animesh(2000), "Azo Anion Radical Complexes of Osmium and Relared Nonradical Species", Inorganic Chemistry, 39(02): 195-199. and nickelSinha, Chittaranjan: Bandyopadhyay, Debkumar, and Chakravorty, Animesh (1988), "Aromatic Hydroxylation via Cyclometalation. Meraloxylation of Palladated 2-(Alkylsulfinyl)azobenzenes", Inorganic Chemistry, 27(07):1173-1178.Chattopadhyay, Surajit; Sinha, Chittaranjan; Basu, Partha, and Chakravorty, Animesh (1991), “Platinum(IV)-Azobenzene Cyclometalation Products and Related Species”, Organometallics, 10(04): 1135-1139. groups of elements and of vanadium,Dutta, Somnath; Basu, Partha, and Chakravorty, Animesh (1993), “Chemistry of Mononuclear and Binuclear Oxidic VanadiumVv, VvVv, and VVVIV Azophenolates”, Inorganic Chemistry 32(23): 5543-5548.Mondal, Sujit; Rath, Sankar Prasad; Rajak, Kajal Krishna, and Chakravorty, Animesh (1998), "A Family of (N-Salicyledene-α-amino acidato)vanadate Esters Incorporating Chelated Propane-1,3-diol and Glycerol: Synthesis, Structure, and Reactions", Inorganic Chemistry, 37(08):1713-1719.Baruah, Bharat; Das, Samir, and Chakravorty, Animesh(2002), "A Family of Vanadate Esters of Monoionized and Diionized Aromatic 1,2-Diols: Synthesis, Structure, and Redox Activity", Inorganic Chemistry, 41(17): 4502-4508. molybdenumRajan, O.A.; Chakravorty, A.(1981), “Molybdenum Complexes. 1. Acceptor Behavior and Related Properties of MoVIO2(tridentate) Systems”, Inorganic chemistry, 20(03 ): 660-664. and copper.Datta, Dipankar, and Chakravorty, Animesh (1983), “Bis(2-(phenylazo)pyridine)copper(I) and -copper(II): Ligand pi acidity and High Formal Potential of the Copper(II)-Copper(I) couple”. Inorganic Chemistry, 22(07): 1085-1090. Representative examples are cited in each case. In the general framework of variable valence, the work is dotted with other themes such as ligand redistribution, spectroelectrochemical correlation, aromatic hydroxylation, oxygen atom transfer, cyclometalation, azo anion radical stabilization and more. The works on vanadium, manganese, iron and molybdenum are of peripheral bioinorganic chemistry.. Chakravorty is also the author of several major review articles and book chapters. Chakravorty has a secondary interest in history of chemistry. He published numerous articles on this issue and a bookChakravorty, Animesh (2019), Glipmses of Acharya P.C. Roy’s Work in Chemical Sciences (p i-xii, 1-136) . Indian Chemical Society, 92 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road, Kolkata-70009. on the contributions of the greatest among early torch bearers of modern chemistry in India, Prafulla Chandra Rây (1861-1944).
Awards and professional outreach Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize (1975); The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) prize (1993); Lifetime Achievement Gold Medals of Chemical Research Society of India (2003) and of Indian Chemical Society (2005); P.C Rây Memorial Award of National Academy of Sciences, India (2018); Golden Jubilee Research Professorship (1996-2001) of Indian National Science Academy; Tata Chemical Platinum Jubilee Distinguished Emeritus Professorship (2014–16). DSc (Honoris Cause) of Burdwan University (2008). Fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences (FASc, 1975), of Indian National Science Academy (FNA,1978), of The World Academy of Sciences (FTWAS, 1995). Bureau Member (1991-99) thereafter Fellow of IUPAC, Honorary Fellow of Indian Chemical Society (1999) and President of the Chemical Research Society of India (2006–09). Member Editorial Boards of Inorganic Chemica Acta (1975–80), Dalton Transactions (1992–96), Inorganic Chemistry (1997–99), Indian Journal of Chemistry Sect.A(1992–98, 2002–07) and Comprehensive Coordination Chemistry-II (CCCII), 10 Volumes, Elsevier (1987). Honored via dedicated Issues: Indian Academy of Sciences, Proceedings Chemical Science (August, 1995) Inorganica Chimica Acta (October,2010) and Journal of Indian Chemical Society (December, 2015). Honorary Professor (1990–95) and Hindustan Lever Research Professor (2001–06) of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research; Jawaharlal Nehru Professor of Hyderabad University (1994); Ramanna Fellow of the Department of Science and Technology (2010–13); Visiting Professor Texas A&M University (1983). In 2006 the Chemical Research Society of India established the biennale Prof. Animesh Chakravorty Endowment Lecture to be delivered as part the Society's Conference by a very distinguished inorganic chemist of the world. The 10th Lecture was held in 2024. The endowment fund for this Lecture was donated by students and admirers of Chakravorty. Delivered numerous plenary, endowed, anniversary, commemorative, foundation day and other categories of invited lectures in conferences and in academic and industrial institutions in India and abroad. These include Special Harvard/MIT Inorganic Chemistry Colloquium at MIT (1983), Gordon Research Conference on Inorganic Chemistry at Wolfeboro, NH, USA (1987); 9th National Convention, Royal Australian Chemical Institution, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia (1992) and the Third International Symposium on the Chemistry and Biological Chemistry of Vanadium in Osaka University, Japan (2001).Hirao, Toshkazu; (Editor) (February 2003), “New Directions in Chemistry and Biological Chemistry of Vanadium - Third International Symposium on Chemistry and Biological Chemistry of Vanadium”, Coordination Chemistry Reviews, 237(February): 1-286. [Of Special Interest: p 135-146].