Israel Chemical Society Awards February 24, 2003 Volume 81, Number 8 CENEAR 81 8 pp. 48-49 ISSN 0009-2347 Yitzhak Apeloig, professor in the faculty of chemistry at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and president of the Technion, has received the 2002 Israel Chemical Society Prize. Apeloig is recognized "for his imaginative implementation of quantum mechanical calculations, providing elegant examples of the germination of ideas for experiments that have led to the discovery of new chemistry." His work has played a pivotal role in developing a fundamental understanding of organosilicon chemistry. Prof. Yitzhak Apeloig, from the Technion is awarded the Israel Chemical Society Prize for the year 2002. Yitzhak Apeloig is a Professor in the Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, and is currently the President of the Technion.He did his Ph.D. with Professor Zvi Rappoport of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the field of solvolytic generation of vinyl cations. He pursued his postdoctoral studies with Prof. P.v.R. Schleyer at Princeton University in Collaboration with Prof. J.A. Pople of Carnegie Mellon. In 1976 he joined the Technion faculty. Professor Apeloig was one of the first experimentalists to recognize the vast potential of ab initio quantum mechanical calculations for organic chemistry. Soon after joining the Technion he succeeded in bringing together a unique combination of experimental techniques and theoretical prowess to solve challenging problems in the area of reactive species in silicon chemistry. These species included: doubly- and triply-bonded silicon compounds, divalent silicon compounds (silylenes), silyl cations and anions. Apeloig's theoretical and experimental work has played a pivotal role in developing a fundamental understanding of organosilicon chemistry. Based on his own theoretical predictions, he was the first to detect experimentally (in cooperation with Prof. Helmut Schwarz of Berlin), molecules containing carbon-silicon triple bonds – one of the "Holy Grails" of silicon chemistry. He edited (with Z. Rappoport) four volumes on organosilicon compounds,which are the authoritative books in the field. Apeloig is also renowned for his seminal discoveries in hydrocarbon chemistry, dealing with small ring compounds and reactive intermediates such as carbocations, carbenes and free radicals. Yitzhak Apeloig is being honored with the Israel Chemical Society Award 2002 for his Imaginative implementation of quantum mechanical calculation, providing elegant examples of the germination of ideas for experiments that have lead to the discovery of new chemistry. His research has convincingly exemplified the synergistic use of theory and experiment as an effective way to discover and explore chemistry, setting an example to many others. His work has played a pivotal role in developing a fundamental understading of organosilicon chemistry. He is a role model for modern physical organic chemists.