Ricardo de Carvalho Ferreira, Brazilian chemist (Recife 16 January 1928 – Recife 30 July 2013)

Authored 129 papers (until 2010)

Elaborated the concept of orbital electronegativity

Studied the relationship of concept of electronegativity and its connection with the character of the molecular orbitals

Electronegativity and Chemical bonding. Adv. Chem. Phys. 13:55-84, 1967

Molecular orbital theory: an introduction. Chemistry 41(6):8-15, 1968

Proposed a model for distinctive growth of RNA-type polymers

A two-substrate Michaelis-Menten model for the growth of self-replicating polymers. J. Theor. Biol. 128:289, 1987

Proposed that adaptative enzymes of orbital symmetry that catalyze bimolecular reactions would have two active centers while that others that catalyze single molecular reactions would have only one active center 

Enzymes as orbital symmetry adapters. J. Theor. Biol. 39:665-8, 1953

Enunciated a deterministic theory for origin of genetic code

With K. Coutinho. Simulation studies of self-replicating oligoribotides, with a proposal for the transition to a peptide-assisted stage. J. Theoret. Biol. 164:291, 1993

Proposed a modification of Kosiakoff-Harker method to calculate the aqueous ionization constants of some inorganic acids (1957) 

Papers in Nature

How inaccurate is Pauling’s bond energy equation? Nature 219:61, 1968

Dipole moment data and hyperconjugation. Nature 188:848, 1960

Resolution of Racemic mixture by Symmetrical Agents. Nature 171:30, 1953  

SOME BIBLIOGRAPHY

Selection rules for catalysis in Symmetry-Forbidden reactions. Chem. Phys. Letters 41:370, 1976

Semi-empirical approximation for the Coulomb and bond integrals in simple LCAO Methods. Theor. Chim. Acta 3:147, 1965

A zeroth order approximation for bond energies, hybridization states and bond ionicities. J. Phys. Chem. 68:2240, 1964

With M. Giambiagi & M.S. de Giambiagi. Une approximation pour les parametres  semi-empiriques conjuguées. J. Chim. Phys. 61:694, 1964

The principle of electronegativity equalization. Part I. Trans. Faraday Soc. 59:1064-74, 1963

A method for the calculation of bond moments from electronegativity data. J. Phys. Chem. 63:745, 1959

Sur l’inexistence de l’ion perbromique. Bull. Soc. Chim. France (1950)

HONORS    

Honorary Fellow, Magdalen College, Oxford (1975)

Professeur Extraordinaire, Université de Geneve (1975)

Visiting Research Fellow, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, (1991-3; 1995-6 & 1998)

Asteroid Ricardoferreira 158520